Rhythm of the Heart
by SeraphxHeartilly
Summary: Rinoa's been trapped in a strict frame of rules her whole life. One day she sees the rock singer Squall Leonhart performing on stage, the embodiment of freedom and rebellion. Their eyes meet by chance and their fates become forever entwined.
1. Chapter 1

Rinoa Heartilly eyed the plate of food before her with a strange fascination. She shoved the peculiar and expensive dinner items around with her fork, debating if it truly was edible. After giving it what she thought to be a thorough inspection, she realized that she lacked the courage to find out.

Her father, General Caraway, was going off about how her reckless and irresponsible behavior was extremely inappropriate for the daughter of a well-regarded general. His loud, booming voice filled in all the empty space in the room, leaving the silence nowhere to hide. If you asked Rinoa, he sounded much more like he was debriefing one of his soldiers than addressing his own daughter. He'd probably prefer that she acted more like one.

Ever since her mother Julia Heartilly had passed away, he demanded absolute perfection from his daughter, and confined her to a strict frame of rules. Yet to his dismay, she possessed the strong resilient will of her mother and grew to have a rebellious streak. She seeked adventure and excitement in her life, but being the daughter of the General of Galbadia, unfortunately making her a social figure, popped any floating dreams of the freedom which she so fervently desired.

She tucked some of her long raven locks behind her ear while she tried her best to concentrate on the monotonous drone of Caraway's voice, but the task was becoming a difficult feat as her attention began to wander after imaginary butterflies. Any attempts at justifying her behavior would only lengthen this already torturous lecture, so she learned the hard way that it was best to keep her lips tightly shut. Doing so was hard at times when she could feel the words ready to shoot from her mouth, holding them in made her feel as if she'd burst open at the seams. To her surprise, Caraway stopped unexpectedly. Rinoa looked to her father with a curious expression etched upon her face. He locked eyes with her, and when he spoke again, the previous heat had vanished from his voice.

"Rinoa," he said, making sure he had her attention. "You know my long time associate Mr. Gillespie, well we've come to an important decision. He has a son about your age who will become a crucial steep hole to the Gillespie Legacy."

Rinoa swallowed hard. She didn't like where this was going.

Caraway resumed, "I told him about you, and we both agree that the Caraways and the Gillespies do indeed go well together. The Gillespie boy seems to find you rather lovely, so as your father, and the General of Galbadia, I took it upon myself to arrange a meeting for you two, and am hopeful towards an engagement. It'd truly be a wise decision for the both of you."

The young woman felt a sweltering heat rush through her veins. Rising to her feet so quickly her chair nearly crashed to the marble floor, she slammed her hands roughly against the grand oak table.

"More like a wise decision for YOU!" she shouted. Large salty tears streamed down from her chocolate brown eyes and rolled down her pale cheeks.

"There is no way I'm going out with that man, and definitely no way I'm going to marry him! I'm not going to marry some stranger just to improve you 'oh so' damned important reputation!" Her throat began to feel sore at the force of her own shouting.

"Now Rinoa, do calm down." He told her in a tone which she found to be condescending, "You must realize how good this will be. You are the General's daughter, and your bethroved must be someone of high social status. You will do this Rinoa. I'm not asking."

Those last sharply uttered words slashed into her chest like a whip. She was a young woman, how dare he treat her as if she were a mere child?

"You can't make me do this!" she yelled back. "And thank you for bestowing upon me the wonderful gift of being your daughter!" she added on a sarcastic note before angrily storming out of the room while refusing to acknowledge any of Caraway's protests. With extra care, she made sure to slam the heavy dining room door loud enough to make the man's teeth clench.

Rinoa walked briskly along the bustling streets of Deling. The city was infamous for its exciting nightlife. Upon nightfall, all the main streets lit up and all kinds of colorful characters stepped out from their homes and into the night scene.

With her hand she wiped away a few stray tears from her cheeks.

"_That stupid, stupid old man!" _she thought.

The walk had managed to soothe her heated temper, but it failed to sooth the hurt still fresh in her heart.

She felt a slight chill and began to rub her bare arms; she then realized she must look sort of odd to all the passersby. She was dressed in a bright colored off-white dress that went to her knees, along with matching high heels. She wished she'd brought a coat as she felt another shiver pass through her body.

Suddenly she noticed some music playing in the distance. There was the loud pound of drums and the steady strum of a guitar. Upon walking a bit farther she saw a well-sized crowd gathered around a stage. She realized she was at the local park where all the local bands came out to play. The blaring rock music rang in her ears, and as if bewitched, she felt compelled to get closer to the source. Carefully, she weaved her way through the crowd until she was nearer to the stage. The rowdy people right before the stage kept her from getting any closer as they jumped energetically to the shrill screams of the electric guitar, totally absorbed in the music.

A low male voice joined in the melody, as the singer crooned into the mic. Rinoa caught sight of him and could've sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. He was tall with a toned build, dressed in rugged jeans and a black leather jacket. His shaggy brown hair whipped around his face as he swayed to the music, singing the lyrics at the top of his lungs. He was Rinoa's dark idol. He was everything she wanted to be. He was a rebel, he was independent; he was _free_.

His performance was mesmerizing, and Rinoa found herself spellbound. Soon she was as absorbed as the crowd, swaying to the rhythm and hanging off the singer's every uttered word.

The music began to slow to a sort of ballad. The ferocity died from the singer's voice as he stood still and poured his soul into the words. Rinoa stared at him for what felt like a small eternity, and was shocked when she realized he was staring right back. His cool blue-gray eyes were locked onto hers as he sung. It felt as if he were singing to only her, and everyone else in the world had disappeared. She was afraid that if she made a sudden movement, the strange trance between them would be broken, but to her surprise, his gaze never left her. The song came to an end and a new song began abruptly. The guitars awoke with a new life and began their electric screaming. The crowd, once tranquil, started rocking wildly. Rinoa felt herself being pushed farther back into the crowd like a whirlpool, so she made a hasty retreat to the safe outskirts of the audience. The handsome singer was back to shouting out the lyrics with intensity while he prowled the stage, sending the crowd into an excited frenzy. She found herself wondering if he noticed she was gone. _"Unlikely." _But for some reason the thought was tinged with disappointment. As much as she'd like to stay for his performance, she knew she should return home before it got too late. Better to not risk angering her father so much that he'd lock her out. Reluctantly she trekked back home.

She got in bed that night with a smile on her face. The last thing she saw before falling victim to slumber was a pair of piercing blue-gray eyes.

* * *

Squall had wrapped up his performance and was now at the house him and his bandmates shared. He sat on the couch in the living room, drinking from a can of beer. Seifer-the lead guitarist, and Zell-the drummer, sat across from him. The bassist, Irvine, was in a room down the hall with one of his groupies, which definitely wasn't something new. Squall noticed Seifer eyeing him oddly.

"What is it?" Squall snapped. Since they were little, him and Seifer always had a tendency to clash.

Seifer continued eyeing him.

"Why'd you pull a blank during our performance tonight?" he asked.

"Pull a blank?" said Squall.

"Yea! You were singing and you suddenly went stock still!" Zell exclaimed.

"What the hell were you staring at?" asked Seifer.

Squall shrugged. "It was nothing." He resumed drinking his beer.

Seifer added, "…It was a girl, wasn't it?"

The alcoholic contents nearly spurted out of Squall's mouth.

"Whatever," he said, slamming the now empty aluminum can down on the coffee table. "I'm turning in."

He left the room and Seifer and Zell broke into laughter.

Squall lay down in his bed, dressed down to just a pair of boxer shorts; the sheets cool against his bare skin. He tried to fall asleep, but the thoughts of a certain young woman kept dancing through his restless mind. Her chocolate brown eyes had been looking right at him. Her in her white dress stood out like a flower in a land where nothing ever grows. She looked like…an angel. Squall closed his eyes and drifted to sleep with a small smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

The early morning sun shone brightly through the uncovered window. Rinoa growled and put up an arm up to shield her tired eyes from the painfully bright rays.

"_Why do I always forget to close those darn curtains!?" _she silently scolded herself.

She tried to will her body to rise from the comfortable queen sized bed, but her endeavor only resulted in her temporarily dozing off again.

After a vicious inner struggle between her wanting to get up and the sweet temptation of the fluffy comforter, she managed to bravely crawl off of the bed. She peered into the large mirror rested above her dresser and cringed at the chaotic shape her mass of raven locks had formed. _"I think I'd send Medusa off screaming!" _she thought with a little laugh.

Quickly she set off to take a shower and get ready for the day.

A while later she was steadily making her way down the ornate oak staircase. She was glad she was wearing sneakers, as the hike down that thing in heels was killer. She was dressed in jeans and a dark blue sweater; her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She headed towards the dining room, hoping to be able to get a quick breakfast. Once closer she noticed the door was slightly ajar, and what she heard from inside the room made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Yes Mr. Gillespie," she heard her father Caraway say, "I think that'd be a great day for young Gillespie and Rinoa to meet." There was a slight pause and he began talking again, but that was all Rinoa needed to hear.

She stormed out the Caraway Mansion.

Morning Deling was always very peaceful and cheery; a major change from the night, but all Rinoa saw as she walked was red.

"_The man just doesn't know when to stop!"_

She took long, angry strides, not really thinking of where she was going.

"_He's always just intervening with my life and feeding me orders by the mouthful! Why I oughta just-"_she felt her face slam into something hard.

She opened her eyes and saw that she just ran into a man's back. Immediately she began stammering incoherent apologies.

"Watch where you're going!" The man said sharply.

He turned around and she felt she could just faint and die.

It was the singer from last night's concert.

At first he looked irritated but then he focused on her face and his blue-gray eyes widened in what looked like surprise.

Rinoa felt butterflies flutter around her chest. Did he remember her?

"I'm really sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." She told him nervously.

"Oh, that's alright." he said. He paused a moment and she hoped that he'd mistake the red in her cheeks as a result of the collision with his back.

"You," he said, "You're that girl from the concert aren't you?"

"_He remembered me!" _Rinoa joyfully acknowledged.

"Yea, I was there." She replied with a grin. "Your performance was amazing!"

A small smile graced his face. It was so small someone might not have noticed it, but Rinoa did.

"You think so?" he said slowly, as if he doubted the praise.

Rinoa smiled and nodded.

A thought suddenly rushed through her head. What if she never saw this guy again? She might never get another chance to talk to him. She wanted to know more about this fascinating person.

"I was just about to go get some coffee…would you like to come along?" she asked.

Before she knew it, she was bracing herself for his rejection.

"Sure." He replied simply.

She could've jumped for joy at that very instant. It took a lot of effort not to.

"There's a coffee shop just a bit down the street." She told him.

"Well, let's go."

They were seated at a booth in a small cozy coffee shop. So far she had learned that his name was Squall Leonhart and that he'd just recently moved to this part of town.

She held her steaming Styrofoam coffee cup between her hands, letting it warm her chilled fingers.

"Have you been performing long?" she asked Squall, who sat opposite from her.

"I've been writing lyrics since I can remember, but I only started actually performing once I was 15. Me and my band started playing at small gigs, we had to sneak into bars to get to most of them." He said, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Wow, at 15? I remember around that age that I wanted to be a singer."

Rinoa's mind drifted off into reminiscence of that time.

"I had wanted to be a singer just like my mother. She would've supported that idea if she hadn't passed away before that. My father was infuriated. He told me that the idea was ridiculous and that I should forget it right away."

There was a short silence. Rinoa was mentally bashing herself for telling him that. He probably didn't even want to know. As soon as her thoughts came to mind, right away they'd run out her mouth.

To her surprise he nodded his head in understanding before saying,

"I don't think it's ridiculous. I think you'd be a great singer."

Her cheeks flushed.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, before adding "But for all you know I could be a horrible singer!"

He gave that rare small smile of his. "I don't think so. I have a hunch that you'd sound great, but you'll have to prove it to me someday."

She put her finger to her chin dramatically and furrowed her eyebrow to pretend that she was giving it very important, and serious thought.

"Hmm…Maybe If your lucky…"

He chuckled. "Hopefully I will be."

"It must be so fun…" Rinoa said offhandedly.

"What is?" he asked her.

"Oh, to be in your own band!" she corrected bashfully. "You can go and play wherever you want, and when you perform, it must feel so liberating!"

His lips curled into a small smile. "It's wonderful to perform on stage, but it's a hard lifestyle."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We're not that popular yet, so we don't really make that much money. It's hard to find a place to stay, and sometimes, we don't even have a place at all."

For most people, that would've made the idea seem less attractive, but to Rinoa, the thought of wandering around like that sounded adventurous.

He must've saw her eyes sparkling with dreams of adventure, because his smile grew brighter. It made Rinoa's heart race. To witness it felt almost heavenly.

"Does that sound exciting to you?" he asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, "Well I don't really get to do much, you see, I have a really strict father. He doesn't approve of anything!"

Rinoa wasn't about to tell him that her father was the General of Galbadia. Talk about a mood killer. It was hard to get friends, especially guys, when they knew you came from such a rich family with a father that had so much power. She wasn't about to blow this.

Rinoa could've sworn she saw a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

"Do you do everything you're told?" he asked.

"No, I don't-!" she exclaimed before flushing with embarrassment. He had purposely riled her up.

He chuckled, pleased with himself.

"You know what Squall?" she said, putting her hands on her hips in a haughty manner.

"What?"

"You're a Meanie!"

He grabbed at his heart with one hand and made an expression of shock.

They both burst into laughter.

Suddenly there was a small beeping noise.

Squall took out a black pager from his pant pocket and peered at the small screen. After seeing the number, he looked at it as if it was the most loathed thing on earth.

"Seifer's calling me." he said.

Rinoa frowned. "Who's that?"

"He's in the band, he's the guitarist. He said to come right away."

"Oh, I see." Rinoa said sadly. "You have to go."

"Yea, I'm sorry."

She did her best to smile. "It's okay. C'mon, I'll walk you outside!"

They walked outside the coffee shop. The sky had darkened significantly since they had gone inside.

Squall stood awkwardly, wondering what to say.

"I'd drive you home if I could," he said, "But I walked here."

"It's alright. I only live a little bit away from here."

"I'll see you around?" Squall asked.

"Sure thing!" Rinoa responded, smiling.

Squall smiled back. "Later then."

"Bye!" she said with a wave before she began walking in the direction of her home.

Squall followed suit.

"_Stupid Seifer!" _he thought. _"Right when things were going good…" _

A sudden realization stomped over him in combat boots.

"_I forgot to ask for her number!"_

He looked back to the path she had taken, and found she was no longer in sight. Too late.

He could've punched himself. He felt like such an idiot.

"_Hopefully I'll see her again."_

A smile crept on his face as he remembered their conversation. He had felt so comfortable around her; it felt as if he could confide anything to her. This was a totally alien feeling to him. It was just as terrifying as it was exciting.

"_She has such a brilliant smile. It could light up a whole room."_

And he had felt so blissful when it was aimed at him.

"_Could I be falling for her?" _

His pager went off again. Sure enough it was Seifer.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm coming!" Squall grumbled.

* * *

Rinoa had arrived at the Caraway Mansion some time ago. She didn't even remember her rage at her father; she was floating on Cloud Nine. The house staff couldn't help but to return her beaming smile as she passed through the halls. Originally, she was planning on heading straight to her room, but she was inspired by a new idea.

Looking around, to make sure no one was watching, she crept into a room only a few doors away from hers. It was a large room that had a huge grand piano positioned directly in the center. The walls were lined with tall bookshelves crammed with a variety of sheet music. An elaborate granite fireplace was placed against the only empty wall in the room. This had been her mother Julia's piano room. As a child, Rinoa had often come in here to listen to her mother's enchanting music. She'd beg her mother to sing and sing until she finally was tired enough to go to sleep. These days the room was always enveloped in a lonely silence. Ever since Julia's death, Caraway ordered for the room to be untouched by anyone. Still Rinoa took to sneaking in whenever she could find the time. To her it felt as peaceful as a church.

She seated herself at the small piano stool and uncovered the beautifully polished ivory keys.

"Mom, I met this new guy. I think you'd like him." She whispered.

She always believed that she could feel the presence of her mother in here. She thought that if her mother's spirit could be anywhere, it wouldn't be at that crowded, dusty, cemetery, it would be here.

Her fingers lightly caressed the smooth ivory keys. She pressed one of the keys and the shrill pitch resonated throughout the room. It was too great of a temptation not to play.

She brought her other hand up and began to play her favorite song: Eyes on Me.

She knew the melody by heart and soon found herself singing the words.

The song was about to head into the chorus when the sudden click of the door made her slam down on the keys in fright.

Caraway was standing in the doorway, a scowl on his face.

Rinoa hastily tried to cover up the keys, her shaky hands fumbling with the case.

Caraway walked up to her.

"What do you think your doing?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to come inside for a while-I didn't mean to start playing!" Rinoa exclaimed, while trying to gather her frightened wits in order to come up with a decent explanation.

"I head about what you did today."

Her gathered wits must have dropped and shattered on the floor.

"What?" she asked.

"The maid told me."

She still didn't understand. "What are you talking about?!"

The scowl remained on his face.

"She saw you at the coffee shop with that rock musician."

"So what?" Rinoa asked in an annoyed tone. Why did he care?

"Don't you understand, Rinoa?" he said, "You can't be seen around with some impoverished musician. You know how quickly word gets around in this city. What if the Gillespies hear about this?"

Rinoa was far past fed up with this whole Gillespie thing.

She focused her glare on the soundless piano, she was too angry to even look at him.

"I don't care what the Gillespies think."

Caraway frowned. "One day, Rinoa, you'll see the good of what I'm trying to do for you, but Rinoa," he said, "Don't you understand how important our reputation is? You can't be seen in the company of some uneducated street scum."

There it was again. Rinoa thought bitterly. He had said '_our _reputation'. _Our, our, our._ But really all he meant was, _my, my, my_. Rinoa was losing her composure. It was hard to keep her cool when she could feel every pained stomp the man was inflicting on her battered heart.

"How can you be so self-involved, father? Don't you even care about what _I _want?!

And don't you talk about Squall that way!! I don't like any of this-," salty tears began cascading down her face in small waterfalls. "I hate the Gillespies! I hate-I hate YOU!"

She looked up just in time to see his figure towering over her, one arm moving towards her face. Her mind could barley register the brutal strike on her cheek.

Caraway pulled back his hand, shocked as if it had been possessed.

In a forced calm voice, he said to her, "Don't you dare speak to me that way. I don't need this from you."

But Rinoa wasn't listening. She was still lost in the initial shock. She didn't even notice his noisy footsteps or the quiet click of the door.

The empty silence of the room was broken as the distressed woman erupted into tears.


	3. Chapter 3

Squall had awoken just a short while ago before taking a quick shower and slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He sat at the foot of his bed with his head in his hands, trying to soothe his killer headache. Last night Seifer had managed to hook up their band with a gig at a popular club in downtown Deling. They had been performing all night, which was inevitably followed by some partying. Squall hadn't really wanted to participate in the party, but he sure did partake of the drinking. _"I'm reaping the consequences now…" _he thought with a groan as his fingers lightly massaged his aching temples. Once the pain had subdued considerably he got up and exited his bedroom. Upon entering the living room he was met by the sight of Zell and Irvine sprawled out awkwardly on the two couches and a grunting Seifer sitting in the lounge chair, rubbing his temples in a similar fashion as to how Squall had been doing only minutes ago.

"Good morning." Squall said sarcastically.

Seifer grumbled an incoherent string of curses.

Squall took a couple steps forward, accidentally sending a well-sized row of beer cans shooting around the floor while making a series of annoying metallic clinks.

Seifer glared at Squall, hands still on the sides of his face. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Squall mumbled an apology and carefully attempted to cross the room that was becoming more of an obstacle course.

After triumphantly making it to the other side he spied his leather jacket on the kitchen counter.

Seifer watched him as he shrugged into his jacket.

"Where are you heading off to?"

"Just going to go get some coffee. I'll be back in a bit."

"Alright, Later then."

His band mate stepped outside.

Seifer couldn't help but to smirk. They were fully stocked on coffee. He had known that guy far too long not to know what was going on, especially after his friend had been so heated yesterday after he had paged him to come over right away. He was headed out to something other then coffee, or rather _someone._

He cringed as he felt the pain in his head return with a vengeance.

"Damn, this so wasn't worth it!" he groaned.

Squall was approaching a familiar crowded street. His eyes caught sight of a wooden sign that read: The Coffee House. He stopped in front of the large glass windows of the shop and found his senses overwhelmed with the strong invigorating aroma of fresh ground coffee. The pleasant scents helped to ease the remainder of his headache, but made him realize another discomfort. His heart was feeling tense. What if Rinoa didn't come by here? What if he didn't see her again? But then what if she _did _come? Would she find it pathetic that he would come all the way out here and wait just to hope that by chance he'd see her again?

He put his hand to the bridge of his nose. All this worrying was bringing his headache back.

His blue-gray eyes keenly surveyed the many people walking up and down the block. None of them were her. He waited for a couple more minutes, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, and slightly embarrassed with himself, he decided he may as well get a drink, so he entered the shop and bought a tall steaming cup of coffee. He walked out the doors and turned to head elsewhere when he heard someone call his name.

He turned to the direction of the voice and was surprised to see Rinoa Heartilly hastily making her way towards him. She was dressed casually in jeans and a light blue jacket. She wore her long raven hair down today, but strangely it seemed to be parted to where it covered most of the left side of her face.

"Hi, Squall." She said with a small smile.

Her voice sounded weak to him, and now that she was closer, he could see that her eyes were slightly red as if she had been crying. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Rinoa, what's wrong?" he asked her calmly.

She gave him a questioning look.

"Why would you think that?"

He smiled at her, gently putting his hand on her chin to make her look at him.

"Let's just say that acting isn't your strong point."

She gave him a weak smile and he could see her chocolate brown eyes slightly glaze with tears.

"Why are you hiding you face, Rinoa?" he asked her gently.

She tried to stammer an explanation "It's just that, well, yesterday…"

She gave up and watched him carefully brush the silky dark strands of hair out of her face to reveal her bruised cheek.

His eyes widened in alarm.

"Who the hell did this?" His voice was thick with anger. He was more than ready to make them pay.

Rinoa burst into tears and choked out between sobs, "It was my father! I got him upset-"

She shocked Squall by wrapping her arms around him. He awkwardly returned the act and held her close to him. He lightly rubbed her back while whispering, "It's okay, Rinoa. I'm here."

She buried her face into his shoulder and gave him one final squeeze before taking a step back. She wiped at her tearstained cheeks and gave him a brilliant smile.

"Thank You, Squall."

"Oh, no problem." He replied, ignoring the heat rushing to his face.

He didn't understand why he felt so shy and awkward around this girl. It was totally unlike him.

He paused a moment before asking her, "Would you like to sit down and talk about this inside?" He motioned towards the coffee shop.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea, well…if you don't mind."

He gave her that smile which made her weak in the knees as he held open the door for her and said, "After you."

They had seated themselves at the booth they'd previously occupied the day before. The clatter of dishes could be heard along with the friendly chatter of the other customers.

Rinoa kept her eyes fixed firmly to her hands. She had hoped to meet Squall today, but she hadn't planned on being hit last night and having him discover her bruise. Now what was she to do? Strangely, when she woke up he was the first person she wanted to see. She needed to feel the soothing effect of his company. It surprised her when she found him in front of the shop. Had he been waiting for her? The thought made her smile.

They'd been sitting in silence for a while and she could begin to feel his gaze burning holes into her face.

"Is there something very fascinating about your fingers?" he asked her teasingly.

She gave a little laugh before responding with a short 'no.'

She glanced up into his eyes but quickly returned her gaze to her hands, which were clutching the coffee cup for dear life.

He watched her nervous antics with a hint of amusement before he hesitantly pressed on.

"Rinoa, talk to me. Tell me what happened."

The soothing effect of his voice temporarily melted away her fears.

She looked up into the piercing blue-gray eyes that she felt could see into her very soul. _He has such a handsome face._ She looked at the slanted scar near the bridge of his nose. Strangely it only seemed to add to the beauty of his features. She realized that she had hardly noticed the scar before because she was always drawn into his storm colored gaze.

He was leaning as close to her as the restriction of the table between them would allow. He was intently watching her study him, waiting patiently for her to speak.

She took a deep breath.

"Well last night," she began slowly, "I got in an argument with my father. We had been battling already for quite some time before, but well, everyday in our relationship is a battle…"

His hand was rested underneath his chin as he silently absorbed what she was saying.

"Anyway, He had been trying to run my life for me and made some important decisions without even asking for my consent. I was just so mad at him…I said some horrible things to him. I blurted out all the nasty things I felt inside and even told him that I hated him, and well he…"

"Hit you." Squall finished for her.

What Rinoa saw when she looked to him left her taken-a-back. His whole expression seemed totally composed, but his storm gray eyes were livid with an inner fury. She had been shocked at his angered reaction to discovering her bruise, but that had only been a small taste of his rage. Sure Rinoa was positively furious with her father, but she didn't want Squall to be filled with this kind of contempt for the man.

"It wasn't his fault about what happened though!" she tried to reason, "I was being really rude, and my father has been under so much stress lately! It was stupid of me to push him so much; the man was bound to break soon."

Squall didn't look very convinced. He was just staring blankly with that same dangerous look in his eyes, lost somewhere deep in his own ravine of thoughts.

Rinoa felt like a poorly patched emotional mess. She felt her cheeks begin to dampen as the waterworks turned on.

Her hands raced up to stop the floodgates. She was still busily wiping away the tears when she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her. The nice scent of cologne and aftershave filled her senses.

Her body gave a slight shiver as she felt his lips lightly brush against the soft skin of her ear as he whispered, "I don't know what all happened, Rinoa, but _no one_ should ever hit you."

Rinoa tried to mouth the words 'I know' but her voice failed her, so she just nodded her head that was now resting on his firm shoulder.

As her tears subsided she felt him slowly release her.

She looked over to where he now sat beside her, his blue-gray eyes examining her expression.

"You feeling a bit better?" he asked gently.

She gave him a beaming smile.

"Actually, yes I am. Thanks to you."

For a moment she could've sworn she saw him blush.

Then she asked, "Are _you_ feeling a bit better?"

He timidly looked away to the empty seat across from them.

"Yea, I guess I am…"

Rinoa slowly leaned towards his ear, whispering, "Are you blushing Mr. Leonhart?"

He coughed nervously and tried to stammer out some impossible excuse, but was failing miserably.

This only made Rinoa begin to giggle even more.

"I-I…Whatever…" he muttered before he looked over to her with playfully narrowed eyes.

"You know what, Rinoa?"

"Yes, Squall?"

"_You're_ the Meanie!"

Rinoa doubled over in laughter. Squall just watched her laugh, a look of contentment on his face.

There was a small beeping noise as Squall's pager went off.

Rinoa looked to him expectantly.

"Damn. Déjà vu…" he muttered as he took the pager out from his pant pocket. He read the new message from Seifer. It read: So when do we get to meet your mystery girlfriend?

He frowned as his mind easily pictured Seifer's snickering face.

"Do you have to go again?" Rinoa asked him.

When he looked to her chocolate brown eyes he saw genuine worry there. _She doesn't want me to leave. _He couldn't help but be delighted by that.

"No" he said, "That was just Seifer being an ass."

A relieved look flooded her face, but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

"Are you guys good friends?"

Squall gave an evil grin and smirked.

Rinoa made a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We'll he's my best friend and best rival, I suppose."

Rinoa just looked at his evil smirk and contemplated on what the best rival part meant.

He laughed at her confused expression.

"Hey, stop the snickering, King Meanie!!" she yelled at him.

"Now, now, Rinoa, There's no need for name calling." He called back in a mock serious tone.

She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him defiantly.

"Cold, Rinoa…So cold."

She grinned in triumph.

Suddenly she remembered something.

"Oh yea, I forgot to ask, Why did u have to go so suddenly yesterday? Was there an emergency?"

"Nah, no emergency. We got an important gig at a popular club here in Deling. There was a real big turn out. A lot of big wigs too."

"Maybe you'll get signed soon." Rinoa said excitedly.

"I don't know if we will. There's a lot of other talented bands in this city."

"Of course you will, Squall, you're band's amazing! You've got wonderful talent!"

"I'm glad you think so."

He sounded genuinely pleased.

Rinoa blushed cherry red. "I do."

"Actually" he began, "We're performing a show at the Deling Amphitheater tonight. I was wondering if you'd like to go."

He was beginning to make her nervous with the intensity of his gaze as he waited for her answer. She felt like she was hearing her voice from someone else when she heard herself stupidly reply, "Really?" _Duh, he means really!_ Her mind scolded to her.

He just gave a warm chuckle.

"Yea. You'll have a backstage pass of course. I don't want you getting trampled." He added jokingly.

Rinoa smiled. "I'd love to go."

He nodded to her and looked to his phone for the time.

"Actually I should probably be heading to the theater soon so I can get there a couple hours early. We have to practice and help get the stage set up for the performance."

He stood up and Rinoa thought for a second that he was just going to walk off and leave her when he turned to face her and asked, "Would you like to come with me?"

"Sure I would." she said.

He helped her up and they left the coffee shop and strolled outside.

"I parked my ride a couple blocks away, but it's a short walk."

She nodded before asking out of curiosity, "What do you ride?"

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of his small smile.

"You'll see."

In a short while they reached a street packed with cars.

She watched him curiously as they walked to see which vehicle he'd stop at. To her surprise he stopped at a big, shiny, very expensive looking, black motorcycle.

He turned to her and gave a proud grin.

"Wow" she said, "How in the world did you get the money to afford this?"

This made Squall's grin grow bigger and slightly wicked.

He said one word.

"Seifer."

"How did you get him to do that? Blackmail?"

Squall gave a smug look.

"Let's just say he learned to never make a bet with a Leonheart."

He got on the motorcycle and revved up the engine and helped Rinoa get onto the back.

She was hesitant to wrap her arms around his middle, but once the cycle sped into the street she clutched him for dear life. Once she did, she couldn't help but notice how solid his abs were against her arms. She thanked Hyne that he couldn't see the massive blush on her cheeks.

_He sure likes to drive fast!!_ She wrote off in a quick mental note as the scenery speed by in a blur of colors.

Once she was sure she was secure and wouldn't fly off the back of the bike and become road kill, she asked Squall above the rev of the bike, a question that she was very interested in finding the answer to.

"What did you and Seifer bet on?"

"Top Secret!!" Squall called back.

She could've bet her money that she heard an embarrassed tone to his voice.

This secret sounded like it must be _very _interesting.

"Aww! C'mon tell me! PLEASE!!"

They had arrived at the huge Deling Amphitheatre. Already there were quite a few cars there, hoping to get into the theater early for good spots. Squall drove around to the back entrance that was there for the musicians.

The rev of the engine died down as Squall put the cycle into park. He swung his leg over and climbed off before offering his help to Rinoa. She climbed off with extreme care. Squall laughed when she fell into him once she got to her feet.

"Ahh, Sweet Land!" She cried out against him.

"Are you implying something about my driving?" He asked, helping to steady her, but secretly enjoying the feel of her against him.

"Yes!" she told him. Grabbing onto his arm to stabilize herself, "And that is that, Hyne, You drive fast!"

He just chuckled at that statement, which inspired Rinoa to blow a raspberry at him.

"Let's head inside." He said to her, leading her into the theater, not bothering to unlink her arm from his.

Inside the building it was dimly lit. The walls were painted black, the floor a shiny dark colored marble.

She watched as a few dingy looking men gave Squall acknowledging nods, which he coolly returned.

"_They must be roadies." _She thought as she saw them haul in some hefty cases.

As they walked deeper into the theater she found herself clinging to Squall more and more. She felt very out of place in this dark building that was faintly stained with the pungent smell of alcohol. Squall, on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly at ease as he led her further along with each long stride.

This side of the theater seemed deathly quiet until they neared a room down a small hallway. There was a variety of voices and laughter coming from behind its small door. Rinoa felt a sudden fear of entering. This place seemed like the set for some creepy horror flick. Yet Squall obviously felt nothing of that sort as he opened the door and casually strode inside with Rinoa slinking in behind him.

Immediately Rinoa noticed there were a lot of people in this room. The smell of alcohol drastically intensified. She had to fight not to make a face.

"Hey man!" A guy wearing a cowboy hat called to Squall. He had a beer in one hand and a girl in the other.

"Hey," said Squall.

Rinoa noticed how Squall suddenly placed a protective arm around her when the cowboy smiled and raised his eyebrow at her.

"This is Rinoa," Squall said, then to her, "Rinoa, this is Irvine. He's in the band."

Rinoa smiled and nodded a polite hello.

A blonde haired man with an interesting tattoo on the side of his face walked over to them. Rinoa thought she recognized him from the night at the concert.

"S'up, Squall!" he said while doing goofy air punches. Then he saw Rinoa and stopped abruptly before standing up straight so that he looked a few inches taller.

"Why hello there." He said in what he must've thought was a suave voice as he extended his hand out to hers.

Rinoa giggled. Squall just gave him a cold glare, which the man pretended not to notice.

"This is Zell." Squall told her.

"Hello Zell. I'm Rinoa, It's a pleasure to meet you." She greeted, shaking Zell's hand.

"Would you like a beer, Rinoa?" Zell asked, about to walk over to the cooler.

"N-no thank you!" Rinoa said too quickly. Zell gave her a funny look but just shrugged it off before he asked Squall if he wanted one.

"No thanks," he said, "I think I had enough yesterday to last me for another two days."

He rubbed his temple as if the mere thought of drinking brought back his hangover.

This made Zell laugh heartily before he went off to talk to some roadies.

Rinoa watched the attractive profile of Squall's face and wondered how often he must party with the band. She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that he had the freedom to do that.

"Come here," Squall said to her as he led her through the roadies and groupies to a small unoccupied couch located in the corner of the room.

She sat down and he was about to follow suit when he saw a roadie carrying in something.

"Just one second," he said to her before walking off to the man.

He came back carrying a black electric guitar.

"That's yours?" she asked as he sat down beside her.

"Yeah." He said quietly as he meticulously examined the guitar and ran his long fingers over it tenderly like a lover.

Rinoa peered at the instrument and studied the silver painted shape of a lion-like creature.

"What's that creature supposed to be?" she asked.

He leaned the guitar over so she could see it better.

"This is 'Griever'. It's a symbol that's been passed down through my family."

Rinoa reached her hand out towards the symbol, and when Squall showed no resistance, she lightly traced Griever's silver outline with her index finger.

"Do you think it looks scary?" she heard him ask.

"No," she said, admiring the creature's detail, "It think its…kinda cool."

When she didn't hear him respond she turned to face him and was surprised to see him giving her a breathtaking smile.

She was still trying to recover her breathing when she heard a man's voice say,

"Hey Puberty Boy, time to set up the stage."

Rinoa watched Squall's face slip into an aloof rock star expression.

"Yeah, Whatever." He said, standing up with his guitar.

Rinoa stood up and looked at the tall, blonde, green-eyed man before them.

He had a scar on his face matching Squall's except that it went in the opposite direction.

"So this is the girl." The man said, giving her a scrutinizing look as if he were trying to place her face.

"This is Rinoa," Squall said, "Rinoa, this is Seifer."

"Pleased to meet you." Rinoa said to Seifer, feeling nervous at his penetrating gaze. _What's his problem?_ She wondered.

"Have we met before?" he asked her. "It feels like I've seen you before."

The realization slammed into Rinoa at full force. _He must recognize that I'm the general's daughter! He probably saw my face in the tabloids! What if he tells Squall?!_

Quickly she blurted out. "Umm no, I'm pretty sure we've never met before. Perhaps I just remind you of someone."

"Maybe." Seifer said. His eyes still on her.

Right when Rinoa felt she was going to suffer a panic attack if he didn't stop staring at her Squall spoke up,

"Come on, let's go set the stage so we have time to tune the instruments."

"Yeah, alright." Seifer agreed. He walked away to the stage.

"I'll be back soon," Squall said to her, "Just stay put here for a while, ok?"

"Ok, I'll be here."

She watched him disappear into a different room. Sitting back down on the couch, she watched all the groupies and roadies mingle. She felt alienated by her being the only one not decked out in rock star threads.

A woman sitting next to the bunch of sleazy groupies clinging to Irvine and Zell was watching her.

She had long sleek blonde hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a skin-tight dark red dress; the lacy front of her black bra was openly displayed. Rinoa watched as the woman walked over. The woman had on long lace up boots that clinked with each step she took on the tile.

She stopped right in front of Rinoa and looked down at her, her icy blue eyes holding a look of utter disdain.

"What's your business with Squall?" She asked.

"He asked me to come and watch his show." Rinoa said. "We're friends."

The woman gave a cold smile.

"Well, honey, you better not expect to become anything more than a friend to him."

That struck a nerve.

"And what makes you say that?" Rinoa said with a bit of an edge.

"Well, for one, you don't seem like your anything like him," she glanced at Rinoa's bright blue jacket. "And two, he's already got someone around who's much better."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow. "And who would that be?"

The blonde gave her a smug look.

"Who else do you think?" she said as she pointed her index fingers at herself.

_Could Squall be interested in someone else? _She worried. _No, Squall wouldn't fall for someone as conceited as this. _

"Someone who's a badass like Squall," The woman continued, "Needs more of a woman to look after him."

With that being said, the woman gave her a cruel smile and walked away, the clinks of her boot's tall heels sounding more and more like daggers stomping into Rinoa's morale.

Rinoa disliked how the woman kept on watching her no matter where she sat in the room with those cruel blue eyes. She couldn't take it anymore, so she left the room and went into the dark hallway that Squall had led her down. She rested against one of the halls darkened corners and hated how the woman's words made her heart feel heavy with doubt.

_Am I good enough for Squall? She's right; I'm nothing like him. He's so free and amazing…and I'm just a girl who's lived her whole life locked up in a fancy cage… _

The door clicked open as Zell stepped out into the hall. Spying Rinoa, he walked over to her spot in the corner.

"Hey Rinoa, what's wrong? You looked upset when you left."

She was surprised to see the gentle concern on his face.

"I well-" she began.

She didn't know if she should say anything about the blonde woman. What if she was his friend?

"I saw Quistis talking to you." He said. "Was she talking shit?"

"She pretty much told me to stay away from Squall." Rinoa told him in a quiet voice.

"That Quistis is a cat!" Zell scoffed. He looked to Rinoa's confused face. He put his hands on her shoulders and said,

"Look here Rinoa, don't listen to anything that chick says."

"She seems to be really into Squall…You don't think that Squall…"

"Don't worry, Rinoa, Squall doesn't want anything to do with Quistis."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, Squall doesn't even want her at a gunblade's length near him. She's like the plague to him. She's only around 'cuz Seifer has a thing for her."

Hearing that helped to put a load of her worries at ease.

Rinoa flashed Zell a small smile.

"Thank you Zell, that helped a lot." She paused, "I must say though…I'm kind of surprised that you're so nice to me- not that I don't appreciate it!"

"I can tell that Squall likes you a lot. And he'd be damn pissed if I let him loose you because of someone like Quistis."

He was trying to look tough, but even he couldn't resist returning Rinoa's beaming smile.

They both jumped at the sound of the door opening quickly.

"Rinoa," Squall said, "I was wondering where you went off to."

In moments he was at her side.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine!" she told him.

He looked doubtful, so she gave him her best reassuring smile.

The door creaked and Irvine popped his head in.

"Hey guys, it's time to hit the stage!" he yelled.

Squall and Zell nodded.

"Shall we?" Zell said, dramatically sweeping his arms to point towards the room.

They began walking and Rinoa instinctively reached to grab the arm of Squall's jacket, except now he wasn't wearing it so his cool skin met her hand.

She blushed and looked up to Squall, but he didn't seem to mind.

He led her past another two rooms. When he opened the final door she heard the deafening shrill screams of a massive crowd. All that separated them from the crowd was a large red velvet curtain. Squall brought her to the side area where all the people lucky enough to have a backstage pass were.

Rinoa recognized some of the groupies standing with her. Unfortunately one of them was Quistis. She was eyeing Squall like a predator to her prey.

"Good Luck, Squall." She said to him in a silky seductive voice.

Squall just nodded coolly. Not looking like he really cared.

"Hey Quistis," Seifer said, "Why don't I get a good luck or anything? Don't you find the lead guitarist sexy?"

Quistis smiled and gave him the finger.

Seifer gave a satisfied smirk.

"I love you too."

A stage man motioned to the band that they had two minutes until the curtain was lifted.

Rinoa could feel the band's heavy adrenaline like electricity. They were charged up like warriors about to plunge into battle.

She couldn't help but notice how cool and collected Squall was, even though he was about to face hundreds of screaming fans. He looked to her and she saw something that up until now had been hidden in his eyes.

_He's nervous…this is a really big show for him. He might even get signed here. _

The crowd's roars grew even louder as it was only moments till curtain time.

Rinoa had been so worried that she wasn't good enough for Squall, but now as she looked into his eyes, she could see how much right now he needed her at his side.

"Squall, you're going to be wonderful, I know you will be!" she said.

Then, even to her own surprise, she stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss that landed on the corner of his mouth.

At first he looked taken a back but then he gave her a heart-melting smile.

The stage manager yelled something that was indistinct in Rinoa's ears, but it made Squall quickly dash over to center stage and pick up the mic.

The curtain rose, revealing the myriads of fans' faces staring up at the lit up stage.

Colored lights that seemed to appear out of nowhere began to flash and dance on the stage.

Squall brought the microphone to his lips and yelled out to the crowd,

"Deling City, are you ready to rock?!"

The crowd whistled and screamed.

Then Seifer yelled, "I don't think you heard the man, he said… Are you ready to rock!"

The crowd's response was deafening.

"Yeah, now that's more like it!" Seifer hollered, beginning to strum his electric guitar. It awoke with its metallic screams.

The rest of the instruments joined together in harmony.

Squall's voice rang above the music and he began the first verse,

"I Will be there I promise I'll be,

Waiting in our sacred place where we,

Find ourselves when we're lost in time,

I can only regret how long it took to make you mine"

His voice took on a seductive croon as he danced and swayed to the music. The crowd cheered him on, jumping up and down, throwing rock fists in the air. Rinoa watched Squall as he completely submerged himself into his performance. He struck cool rock poses on the amp, which excited the crowd, and then he resumed his savage dance up and down the stage. The song was nearing its end, and already he had worked up a sweat. His dark black t-shirt clung tightly to his toned chest, his dark brown hair sticking to his face. Three songs later, he still had the same great energy; the crowd was growing even wilder. People were crowd surfing and mosh pits were breaking out among the audience. This made Rinoa realize that maybe he wasn't kidding so much when he said she could get trampled. They had finished their last song and the crowd was screaming for an encore. Of course the band made them beg for it, even though they we're delighted to perform another song. Their encore was worth every second as each of the band members gave an incredible show. Finally the show came to an end and the audience hoot and hollered as the curtain dropped.

"Good job, boys!" Irvine yelled.

They all cheered for their success.

Rinoa walked over to Squall, who had just drained three water bottles in about a minute.

"See Squall, I knew you'd be wonderful!" She said. She gave him a big hug, ignoring his sweat.

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you Ms. Heartilly," he said resting his chin on the top of her head, "I think that you're my good luck charm."

"Wow, Squall, now that was the best performance I've ever seen you give."

She heard Seifer say.

She let go of Squall and turned to the guitarist with Squall's matching scar.

"Trying to impress a certain lady with your stage prowess?" he smirked.

"Screw you, Seifer." Squall said with a bite in his voice.

Seifer laughed and raised his water bottle up in a 'cheers'.

"Hey guys!" Irvine called. He walked in from an offstage room. "Some record executives want to talk with us!"

"Don't worry, I'll handle this." Seifer said as he followed Irvine out the door.

"Yea man! This is awesome!" Zell shouted. He crouched and threw three big air punches. "Man we're so gonna have the biggest freakin' party ever!"

He ran to where Irvine and Seifer went.

Rinoa turned to Squall. "Wow, so today may be your band's lucky night."

Squall smiled. "It might be." He looked around at all the groupies and fans that began to flood the backstage. "Come on, let's go before this place gets too crowded."

He led her through all the rooms and back down the dark hallway. It wasn't so scary to Rinoa now. In fact, now it felt rather comfortable with Squall beside her. Soon they were back to the band parking lot. Nighttime had descended and the city streetlights kept the city nearly as bright as day. Rinoa looked up at the sky and wished that the lamps weren't there so the night could be light up by the moon and stars like it was supposed to be. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. Squall surprised her by putting his leather jacket around her shoulders; immediately making her feel much warmer.

"Thanks, Squall." She said.

He smiled and hesitated a moment before he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She leaned against him and was delighted by how warm he was. She giggled when he nuzzled his face against the crook of her neck.

"It's getting late. Shall I be taking you home?" he asked.

Rinoa frowned. She didn't want to be without Squall. Being with him today made her forget all her troubles. Also the thought of having to face Caraway right now didn't sit well with her. She didn't feel at all like lying about where she had been all day.

Squall watched and must've seen the sadness on her face.

"What's wrong?" he pressed gently.

"I don't want to go back home." She stated stubbornly like a child.

Squall paused before tentatively saying, "Well you could always stay with me tonight if you'd like. It's nowhere fancy but-"

"Really?" Rinoa asked. She'd be so happy if she could stay with him the whole night. She watched him give her an adorable crooked smile.

"Of course you can, Rinoa."

On a whim she turned around and embraced him. He laughed and held her back, his hand gently running through her jet-black hair.

"Let's head over to my place." He said drawing back lightly.

Rinoa nodded and let him help her onto the back of his motorcycle. As they were speeding down the road Rinoa smiled resting her head against Squall's back and thought to herself, _"Could tonight possibly be any better?" _


	4. Chapter 4

Squall put the motorcycle into park in front of a small house in a slightly rundown neighborhood

Squall put the motorcycle into park in front of a house in a slightly rundown neighborhood. As Squall assisted her as she got off, Rinoa couldn't help but think how different this was compared to her lavished mansion.

They walked to the front door and Squall rummaged through his jacket pocket for the key.

"Welcome to the palace." He said jokingly, as he opened the door and led her inside.

The living room was very minimal with two simple couches and a lounge chair. There was a T.V. against the wall, and at least 3 guitars in the room. Rinoa smiled at Squall and raised an eyebrow when she saw a multitude of beer cans assembled into a tower that was in danger of teetering over.

"That would be Zell's doing." Squall grumbled. "I'll be right back." He said as he took the cans over to the kitchen.

Rinoa sat down on one of the couches and nearly sat on a pair of drumsticks.

"_They must all live here together."_ Rinoa thought to herself as she heard Squall's footsteps.

"Let's head to my room and I'll find you some clothes to sleep in." Squall said.

Rinoa nodded and accepted his outstretched hand as he easily lifted her from the couch. She followed him down the hall and into his bedroom. The room had a bed, a nightstand, and a lounge chair with an acoustic guitar next to it. Stacked on top of the nightstand were dozens of worn notebooks.

"Cozy place." Rinoa said.

Squall smiled. "It serves its purpose."

He searched around his dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt and some shorts.

"Here, I hope this will do."

Rinoa smiled and took the clothes from his hands.

"It's perfect."

"Go ahead and change in the bathroom," He said to her as he opened the door to the adjoining bathroom.

Rinoa went in and shut the door behind her.

She slipped off her clothes and changed into Squall's. His shirt was like a short dress on her so she couldn't even see the shorts. She went over to the mirror and ruffled her long raven hair, using her fingers to comb out the tangles from the motorcycle ride. She found herself taking quite a bit longer than necessary to look herself over.

"_Why am I so nervous about what Squall thinks?" _her mind chastised.

Hesitant, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

What she saw left her unable to exhale.

Squall was dressed in black shorts and was just pulling his shirt over his head. Rinoa couldn't resist staring at his perfect physique to save her life.

"_Turn away…Turn away!" _

It was too late since Squall now turned and realized she was there. He followed her gaze and gave a sly smile.

Rinoa coughed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry" Squall said, "I thought that since you were taking a while that I should just go ahead and get dressed."

Rinoa kept her gaze on level with the floor.

"Oh, no, don't apologize! It's fine."

She looked up to see Squall smile mischievously.

"You look good in my clothes."

Rinoa blushed madly, but inside she was preening.

She walked over towards the bed where her eyes fell upon the stack of notebooks.

"What are all these for?" she asked Squall.

He grabbed a notebook from the top of the stack and sat down on the bed.

"They're lyrics and songs I've written. Some of these are pretty old." He said, looking down to the worn cover.

Rinoa sat down beside him.

"Can I see them?" she asked casually.

Squall gave as shocked a look as if she asked if she could see him naked.

Rinoa quickly tried to recover. "I- if you don't want me to, that's fine!" she blurted out.

Squall just sat there silently contemplating. He looked down to the ink-written pages of his soul then looked up to her and said coolly, "Go ahead."

Rinoa looked at him dubiously.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Squall nodded as he handed the notebook to her.

Tentatively, Rinoa flipped it open.

Inside, each page was filled with exquisite lyrics and deep metaphors. Every song told a story, but she noticed that they all held a certain dark kind of atmosphere.

"They're beautiful," she said aloud, "but they all seem so sad."

Squall seemed distant when he looked back at her.

"Yea, those are from when I was 15… I was going through some stuff."

Rinoa reached over and intertwined her fingers with his. Warmth crawled back into his expression as he squeezed her hand and gave a slight smile.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she said, "But if you don't mind, I'd be happy to listen."

His storm colored eyes watched her intently, undoubtedly considering if he wanted to reveal this part of himself to her.

Finally he nodded to her, and began,

"When I was 15 I was extremely angry at my father, and well…the world. When my mother Raine was pregnant with me, my father up and left her. Some time after she had me she became very ill. I was so mad that my father wasn't around to help us and to take care of her. It was too much responsibility to always be there to help her, but I did. She was always so kind to everyone, and when she'd hear me voice my hate for dad, she'd always stick up for the man and say that he was young and afraid of being a father and that he simply wasn't ready to handle the responsibility. She died around when I turned 15 and I was just so angry. I lived like I didn't care, and would take out my feelings with drinking and partying, until I finally found something that helped better to numb the pain. It was songwriting. After that Seifer and me came up with the idea to have a band. Zell and Irvine were eager to join, and soon, well we dedicated our lives to our music. It was something to live for."

Rinoa felt a newfound respect for the man before her. Her dark idol was becoming more of her hero.

"_Squall's really had it rough. And he told me before that when he was young sometimes he'd have nowhere to live…I don't think I could ever be as strong as he is." _

"Wow, Squall, I…"

"Yeah?" he asked coolly.

Rinoa couldn't find the right words to say, so she just flung her arms around him in a hug.

She felt his chest shake a bit against her cheek as he laughed lightly.

She looked up at his face when she heard him speak again,

"You know Rinoa, you've helped me a lot today."

"Really?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. You just helped me right now, and earlier at my show."

She thought back to earlier at the concert and blushed at the memory of the short kiss she gave him.

"I…you know, Squall, that was all _you _up there." She said quietly. "You didn't need me. All your talent is what helped you."

"But without you I'd never believe that I had any."

Rinoa bashfully buried her face into his shoulder, but with his free hand he gently tilted it back up to face him.

"You know, I don't think that I ever properly thanked you." He said.

Rinoa's heartbeat skipped erratically as she watched him slowly lean forward to meet her lips.

He paused just before they met, his stormy eyes watching her for permission.

Rinoa closed her eyes in answer and felt his soft lips collide with hers.

In moments Rinoa was completely enraptured in the sweet sensation. She never knew that a kiss could produce such ecstasy.

She was pleasantly surprised when Squall deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth, which she eagerly welcomed with her own.

Softly, he pushed her so that she was lying on her back with him lightly resting on top of her.

His kisses became more intense and Rinoa arched her back in pleasure. Greedily she drank in the wonderful sensation of his touch.

"Squall…" she uttered in sheer delight.

Squall pulled back and she took this opportunity to catch her breath. Both their breathing had turned ragged.

Squall's eyes were hazy with desire. He leaned in forward to taste her mouth again, when he pulled back abruptly. He knit his brows together and it seemed that he was exerting much effort when he said to her,

"Rinoa, I think we should stop for now."

Rinoa felt her heart shatter into a million jagged pieces.

"What'd I do wrong?" she whispered to keep from breaking into tears. _"Why don't you want me anymore?" _is what she really wanted to ask.

She could see that the passion still hadn't vanished from his eyes, so why was he rejecting her?

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rinoa. Really." He saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. He kissed her softly on the lips and said, "It's just not time to go further, alright? But it's not your fault Rinoa…You're amazing."

She sniffled, but choked back any stray tears. She gathered back all her strength and gave him her best smile, trying hard to make it reach her eyes.

"Alright." She said.

He smiled back at her and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"I bet you're getting tired. We should turn in for the night."

Rinoa nodded and watched him stand up.

"You have the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor." He said to her.

"I don't want you sleeping on the floor because of me!" Rinoa quickly protested. "You have the bed tonight, it's your room after all."

Squall smiled. "Well I'm not having you sleep on the floor…would you mind sharing the bed with me?"

Rinoa playfully rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips and hoped that he wouldn't notice how painstaking the effort was. The wounds in her heart were still raw.

"I guess I can…if I have to." she said.

Squall chuckled softly and turned out the light. The moonlight faintly lit the room through the thin curtains.

Rinoa crawled under the covers and Squall got in bed beside her.

"Goodnight, Squall." She said.

Squall watched her close her eyes as she gave in to sleep.

"Goodnight, Rinoa Heartilly."

* * *

Sunlight flooded the bedroom, making Squall squint his eyes from its rays. He looked down and felt a grin tugging at his lips when he saw Rinoa snuggled up against his chest. The morning sun illuminated her features, making her look even more like an angel. He would've thought last night was a dream if she wasn't with him right now to verify his memories. He remembered how distraught her angelic features had been when he ceased to further advance with her. It would have been so easy, as a matter of fact its what he thought he wanted at first. If it had just been some groupie maybe he would've taken her, but with Rinoa it wasn't right. Rinoa deserved something more.

"_Since when was I so soft?" _Squall thought, roughly hitting his head against the headboard in frustration.

The movement was enough to rouse Rinoa from her sleep. Squall silently cursed himself. She had looked so peaceful.

Rinoa opened her eyes slowly and gave a small, delicate yawn. She looked up and saw his face. He saw her eyes widen in shock, as it seemed she just realized she was lying on top of him.

Squall watched the faint pink crawl into her cheeks and couldn't suppress his smirk.

"_She always seems so innocent." _

"Had a good sleep?" he asked her with a teasing tone to his voice.

When she answered him, her deep brown eyes held a thoughtful look.

"Yes I did."

The fact that his presence soothed her sent a delighted chill through his body.

"Be back in a second." He said to her as he got up from the bed and went into the bathroom.

Squall walked over to the mirror and looked at the man in his reflection.

"_What in Hyne is wrong with me? I shouldn't be all light headed about this. What made me not go further with her last night? The old Squall wouldn't have hesitated…I shouldn't be getting so close." _

He stared long and hard at his reflected image, wishing he could see floating answers rather than the sight of his wary blue-gray eyes.

Squall walked back to the bedroom where he saw Rinoa dressed in her clothes from yesterday. Long silky raven strands of hair were in disarray from what must've been a tumble with her shirt.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His feelings were uneasy from the sudden tension in the air.

"Squall, it's almost noon!" she said as she looked up from her clumsy attempts at retying her shoes. "I have to get home before my father does something crazy like report me missing!"

Squall kneeled down to where she was sitting on the bed and grabbed her hand and said in a purposely calming voice,

"Hey, calm down, Rinoa. It'll be fine. Tell you what I'll drive you home."

Strangely, he noticed that when he mentioned driving her home that there was suddenly panic in her eyes.

"No, it's okay, you don't have too do that! I'll get a cab! I bet you're tired from yesterday, you should rest some more!"

"_What's wrong about me driving her home? What's she so afraid of?" _

"Rinoa, it would be fine for me to take you."

He watched her face and tried to figure out what she wasn't saying. He paused then added,

"But if you _really _want to get rid of me then-"

"No! Of course I don't want to get rid of you!" Rinoa told him.

He gave a smug grin. "Good, then wait in the living room for me and I'll be dressed in a minute.

Shortly after, Squall emerged from his bedroom dressed in faded jeans, fitted t-shirt, and of course his trademark leather jacket. He had just slipped on his sunglasses when he noticed a certain young woman's stupefied gawk. An amused crooked grin tugged at his lips. Apparently she had been muttering about something to herself, but now as she looked at him her words stammered.

"Yes?" he asked her.

"Do you _always_ look like you just walked off the cover of some rock magazine?"

Her voice held a bit of both complaint and awe.

He shook his head a little and chuckled to himself.

"Alright, you ready to go?" he asked.

Rinoa nodded her head, but her eyes still held something unreadable.

_She'll tell me whatever it is if she really wants to. _Squall decided. _If she trusts me enough. _

They'd went outside to the motorcycle and Rinoa was now clutching at his middle as if it was the only thing holding her to earth.

After hearing her disapproving comments about him preferring to drive at light speed he reluctantly eased up on the pedal. Of course this was after he'd poked plenty of fun at her for being afraid.

"I'm not afraid, I'm just…precautious!" she shouted at him.

He had to try hard not to burst out in laughter at the agitation in her voice.

They were now pulling closer to Deling's housing areas.

"Where would you like me to drop you off?" he said over his shoulder to her.

There was a long pause before she told him, "Umm…just drop me off at Revista Street."

"Is that where you live?" he inquired, not bothering to hide his suspicion.

He felt her breath gust out of her chest in something like panic.

"Well no, but, its really close!"

Why doesn't she trust me enough to tell me something as simple as where she lives? Does she think I'm dangerous or something? Well I know that guys in bands like me don't exactly have the best reputation, but well… I thought she was different than that.

"Fine, whatever." His voice was cold and indifferent.

In a few minutes he put the bike into park right in front of Revista Street. It was on the nice side of town, next to all the filthy rich people's houses, and not far from the Presidential Mansion.

Quietly he helped Rinoa off of the bike. Her beautiful brown eyes were wracked with sadness and worry that immediately made him ache to comfort her.

But it seemed that maybe she didn't want him to be the person to do that. Perhaps she even had someone else. He should've known. Someone as perfect as Rinoa Heartilly certainly would already have someone with claim to her heart.

"Squall", she said as she put her hand over his, which was clamped securely to the bike's handle.

"Yeah?"

His voice was perfectly nonchalant.

She took a deep breath then began,

"It's nothing against you that I don't want you to take me home, but its just that…my father is going to be waiting for me at the door, and he'd be very upset if he saw me with you…Not to mention if he knew I spent the whole night with you."

"Is that really it, Rinoa?" Squall asked in disbelief.

Rinoa nodded, her eyes pinned to the ground.

Squall suddenly stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

Rinoa gasped against him in surprise.

He pulled back just enough for him to look at her, and lifted his hand to her cheek, gently letting his fingers graze over the bruise that was a faint blue-violet.

Feeling self-conscious Rinoa quickly lifted her own hand to hide the blemish, but Squall was faster. Gently but firmly he held back her wrist and lightly kissed the imperfection. He moved on to her forehead, then her chin, followed by her throat. Finally he settled on her lips and pulled her into a deep kiss. Her arms flew up and wrapped tightly around his neck.

After what might've been years of bliss, Squall pulled back and watched the dazed expression on her face.

"Don't ever let him hurt you again Rinoa." He whispered.

"I won't." she replied.

"And let him know that I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon."

Rinoa almost jumped with pleased shock.

"You mean that?"

Squall smiled smugly.

"Don't tell me you truly find that to be so surprising."

With that said he leaned down and kissed her before setting himself down on his bike. The rev of the engine cut through the air as the vehicle roared to life.

"Oh and by the way, you'll find that you have something in your right pocket."

She looked into her pocket and heard him say goodbye. When she looked up the rock god was already cruising down the street.

Smiling, she returned to her pocket where she felt a small folded paper between her fingers. Upon opening the paper, her smile stretched. It read:

**(480) 833-3283**

**Squall**

Now she wouldn't have to worry about how to reach him. She carefully folded the note back up and returned it to the security of her pocket. As she reluctantly walked back to the house she was making mental plans to call him the moment she reached the safety of her room. It'd be her fort tonight from the rage of her father. Now that she thought about it, she realized she'd be lucky if she'd ever get to leave the house again before she was 30.

_That'd be a hard one to explain to Squall. _She thought with a little laugh. She had been quite fortunate to have gotten away with not confessing her secret to him today. She felt sick to her core for not telling the whole truth to him, but she knew that losing him would hurt so much more.

The house was in view and she was almost to the front yard. The lions on the handcrafted fountain watched her from behind fiercely carved eyes. It wasn't long till she reached the stone path, on a death march to the front door where she would be sentenced. In her mind she was reciting the apology she'd prepared for Caraway.

"_I'm sorry for what I said that night. I never should have said something so cruel…" _

After taking out her spare key, she opened the front door and prepared for the worst.

Inside the house it was the sound of silence. The sound of Rinoa's footsteps echoed throughout the entranceway.

"Hello?" Rinoa called to anyone. She peeked around to look in the dining room to see if Caraway was inside. The room was void of any life, but she noticed that the table was set up nicer than usual. Some elaborate candlesticks and china that Rinoa hadn't seen used in maybe a year or two were carefully placed on the table. Was Caraway having guests?

Rinoa jumped in fright at the suddenness of one of the maids appearing from the drawing room.

"Hello, Ms. Heartilly. I'm sorry to have frightened you." The maid said politely.

"Hello, Bertha. It's fine, I was just a little startled."

"Oh, Ms. Heartilly, your father is in his study. He's been waiting anxiously for your arrival."

"Thank you, Bertha. I'll be up there shortly."

The maid nodded before she returned to the drawing room.

Rinoa reluctantly began the walk to her father's study. She lightly knocked on the door. Caraways deep voice answered with a "Come in."

Inside General Caraway was seated behind his desk, which was over flooded with papers. He looked up from a chart he was reading and slid off his reading glasses.

"I see you've returned." He said rather calmly.

_It must be the calm before the storm…_

"Rinoa, I would like to apologize for the horrible way I acted yesterday."

_What…He's apologizing to me?_

"I've been under a lot of stress and I never should have let it get out of control, and especially to have taken it out on you."

Rinoa gawked at the man and realized in a slow moment that she'd forgotten to breathe.

She spoke slowly.

"I-I don't know what to say."

Caraway continued,

"Rinoa, I don't expect you to forgive me right away, but I just want you to know that I sincerely apologize."

Rinoa nodded speechless. To apologize, and to even admit that he was wrong was so unlike him. Could he honestly have felt so horrible about what he'd done?

Rinoa gulped down the big lump of air in her throat. "I'm going to try to forgive you…dad. I accept your apology."

Caraway smiled. It was a small smile but Rinoa knew the immense value of something he so rarely did.

She returned his grin with her own and felt for the first time in quite a while, a glimmer of hope for their relationship.

"There's something else I need to tell you." Caraway said.

"Yes?"

"We're having guests to dinner tonight. I'd like it if you'd dine with us."

Rinoa nodded.

"Okay. May I ask who is it?"

"A business associate of mine. Why don't you wear that dress I bought for you for? I've never seen you wear it, I'm sure it'd look very beautiful on you."

Rinoa smiled.

"I think I will. I'll be ready before the evening."

* * *

Seifer thoughtlessly flipped though another channel.

"Crap, crap, crap…Dawson's Creek, oh man, crap."

It was going on 4 o' clock and Squall still hadn't shown up yet.

_I wonder where that guy is. You'd think he'd be dying to know what the talent scout at our show said._

Deciding that the news was the least crappy thing on, he set down the remote.

Feeling a bit thirsty, he decided to go to the kitchen to get a drink.

When he went back to the living room a picture was being shown on the screen of a girl and an older man.

"The General and his daughter Rinoa Heartilly attended a charity auction last fall. This election year the General will be attending yet again. The Home for Every Child charity will be proud to-"

Seifer dropped the soda can to the floor.

Undoubtedly the woman in the photograph was the exact same one Squall had brought to the concert last night. He didn't even have to ask to know that Squall knew nothing of her true identity. His friend would never be so casual and confident around someone of such high social status. Especially when high society, including the General, would never approve of the relationship.

"Rinoa Heartilly…or rather Rinoa Caraway…the daughter of the Galbadian General. Oh great." Seifer groaned.

He crossed his arms and stood motionless and tried to think of an alternative action to what he already knew he'd have to do

As much as he'd hate to hurt his friend, Squall had to know the truth that Rinoa Heartilly was not who he thought she was.

* * *

Rinoa carefully examined her reflection in the long mirror. The beautiful crimson dress that her father had purchased fit perfectly on her figure. The silk the dress was made out of was light and flowed easily with her movements. The top tied behind the neck like a halter and added emphasis to the dramatic plunge in the neck. She tried to pull the dress up so it wouldn't be so revealing, but the design wouldn't comply. She surrendered to the dress and decided that later she'd tell Caraway that next time he should stick with dresses that were a tad more modest. She had to admit though that it was beautiful. On her neck was a thin string of diamonds, and her hair was pulled back into an elegant wispy bun.

Deciding she was now proper for the evening, Rinoa exited her bedroom and strode down the stairs where her father was waiting. When Caraway saw her he gave a satisfied grin.

"I knew that would look great on you." He said.

Rinoa smiled. "Yes it does, but don't you think it's just a tad risqué?"

Caraway shook his head.

"Nonsense!"

There was a knock at the door and Caraway rushed forward to intercept the guest.

The door opened and in walked an older man, about Caraway's age. His hair was graying and his eyes were a deep green. He was dressed in a proper suit and tie. Next to him was a young man who couldn't be much older than Rinoa. He was an attractive man but he had that snobbish condescending look to him that could drive someone mad. His hair was brushed back but the bangs were slightly spiked up at the front. His eyes were an exotic emerald green.

Caraway shook hands with both men and gave an award winning host smile.

" It's a pleasure to have the Gillespies here tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

**SeraphxHeartilly** : Hey everyone! Here's the long awaited 5th installment of Rhythm of the Heart. I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed the story so far. Be excited, this chappy contains a lotta drama! ;)

* * *

Mr. Gillespie's son shamelessly scrutinized Rinoa up and down with a pleased expression. The general's daughter couldn't help but notice how he blatantly allowed his gaze to linger on the plunge in her gown. Involuntary she scowled at the man's lecherous behavior. Caraway quickly put his hand on her shoulder in a silent reminder to be courteous. Rinoa looked into the stern face of her father and wanted to scream at him for his deceptions. Would it have hurt him to mention that one of the 'guests' he was inviting was the man he was trying to arrange her marriage with? But then if he had, most likely she would have snuck out the window and have left him the embarrassment of finding her missing when the Gillespies arrived. She realized his seemingly genuine apology must've been a ploy to divert her attention from tonight's plans.

"_He even got me to wear this dress just for Gillespie!"_

Caraway looked so smug as he led the guests to the dining room. As the older men walked away, the Gillespie son walked over to Rinoa.

"Hello, Miss Caraway. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Nicholas Gillespie, but you can call me Nick."

"Hello. I'm Rinoa…Heartilly" She greeted back, though she was sure he already knew.

"My apologies." He said while sweeping his eyes over her body again. "My, I've seen you in photo before, but in person you are simply stunning."

Nicholas then leaned forward and kissed her hand. The gesture was such a cliché, yet still caused Rinoa's cheeks to turn the faintest pink of a rose.

"I-I think we should join them."

Rinoa motioned her head towards the men in the dining room.

"Oh course." Nicholas replied.

He held out his arm to her in what seemed to be a courteous gesture.

Rinoa accepted by linking her arm in his. At this she was reminded of Squall when he was leading her through the amphitheater. Subconsciously she was imagining that the smooth silk of Nicholas's dinner jacket was the cool leathered arm of the rock star. The feeble illusion she'd constructed was shattered when Nicholas spoke, causing her to look up and expect to see blue-gray eyes.

"If you may."

Nicholas pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"Thank you." Rinoa said, moving to seat herself.

As she moved into sitting position she felt the unmistakable touch of Nicholas's hand caressing her, starting at the back of her knee then up to her-

A short gasp left Rinoa's mouth as she jumped up with her hands shielding her rear end.

"What do you think you doing?" she demanded at Gillespie.

He looked quite bewildered at her reaction. Quickly his face went to an innocently puzzled expression.

"Whatever are you talking about? I merely pulled out the seat for you."

As livid as she was, she decided to try and be as civil as she could around the leech.

Caraway and Mr. Gillespie watched her as confused as if she'd just started dancing on the table.

"I-I…never mind." She sat down. "Thank you for being so courteous."

Nicholas nodded to her.

"It was my pleasure."

He went to his seat across from Rinoa, and Caraway and Mr. Gillespie were back to talking business gibberish.

The ruffled young woman did her best to calm herself and attempted to at least pretend to listen to the older men's conversation. She smiled a lot and laughed when it seemed appropriate. All the while paying no attention to Nicholas. Still every once in a while he'd catch her gaze and give her a cheeky grin.

"So Rinoa, dear," Mr. Gillespie said with his loud, authoritive voice like her father's.

"Yes?"

He smiled.

"How do you fare these days? Is there a man in your life?"

Nicholas seemed to snap into attention at the last part.

"Why I've been rather good." She replied. "…and well…there might be."

All three men looked shocked. Her Father, well, bordering on outraged.

"Rinoa, honey," Caraway said with contained emotion, "Please don't tell me you're referring to that, what do you call him…musician?"

"What if I am?" she challenged.

Caraway just shook his head, most likely wishing to say more but not wanting to appear ill tempered in front of his guests.

"May I ask who this musician of yours is?" Nicholas asked. "Perhaps I've heard of him. What kind of instrument does he play? Strings, woodwinds, percussion…"

The young woman giggled at the idea of Squall being in an orchestra. The rock star would probably rather be thrown into a den of angry behemoths.

She smiled.

"His names Squall, and actually…he plays in a local rock band."

As if she made a killer punch line, the men burst into hysteric laughter.

Rinoa frowned. What was so funny?

"Oh my," Nicholas choked out between laughs. He pretended to wipe away a tear. "So_that's _the kind of man you're after?"

Rinoa raised one eyebrow at him.

"Is there a problem?" she said with sweet venom.

She took a long sip of her red wine.

"No, not at all," The emerald-eyed man snickered. "Only of course if you don't mind the Caraways mixing with the…indigent."

_Oh now you've done it._ She thought to herself.

She wasn't prepared for what happened next. Using both of his, Nicholas grasped her hand that had been resting on the table.

"But Darling, while the musician may provide you temporary amusement, I'm a man who can give you what you really need."

He squeezed her hand and his eyes quickly shifted over to her father then back to her.

"My only wish is to satisfy you're every need."

Quite simply Rinoa was flabbergasted. She sat perfectly silent with her eyes staring wide open at him like a porcelain doll.

He continued, "I've discussed this with my father numerous times, and with your father's permission I would like to ask for your hand in marria-"

Red wine splashed all over him. The ruby droplets ran down his face and dripped all over his white, silken shirt.

Rinoa set down her now empty crystal glass.

"Excuse me." she said with perfect grace as if nothing out of the ordinary took place. "I'm afraid I'm finished for tonight."

Without another word she strolled out of the dining room, then out to the front yard.

Her high-heels clip-clopped against the smooth stone pathway. She sat at the lion fountain and listened to the soothing sounds of the running water and the singing of the crickets.

"This can't be real." She whispered. She looked at the night sky's reflection in the water then cupped some in her hands. It felt like ice. Still, she splashed the water onto her face only to find that she indeed was awake.

Her eyes swept over to the windows and saw the men's silhouettes moving towards the front door.

Quickly she stood up from the fountain and darted as fast as she could on heels past the mansion's front gate and down the street, never stopping to look back.

* * *

The Galbadian cemetery was especially dark during the night. The many trees blocked out the light from the street lamps and night sky. Fortunately Rinoa knew her way around here. Soon she stood before the familiar grave. Her legs gave out under her and she curled up against the headstone. She sobbed against the cold stone, tracing her fingers over the carved name:

Julia Heartilly

"Mom." She sobbed. Her breathing came out in ragged gasps.

She felt the ancient remnants of a bouquet she'd brought some time ago crumple beneath her form. She didn't visit this place as often as the piano room.

"I'll replace these soon for you." She whispered.

She couldn't feel her mom's presence here as strong as in her old piano room, but she couldn't bear to be in that house right now. Still she wished she could be in the warmth of the room. This place was cold and empty.

At first it was so quiet that she thought it was her imagination, but soon she picked up on the sound of footsteps crunching leaves and twigs. Someone was heading her way.

Rinoa quickly got out of fetal position and peered into the darkness.

She saw an approaching figure. The person was rather tall, probably a man. She could see the shadow of what looked like a trench coat.

As they got closer she stepped farther back, till the headstone chilled the back of her legs.

Once the figure got closer she could see the bottom middle of his face as he stepped towards a sliver of moonlight.

He had a long diagonal scar on the bridge of his nose.

Her heart jumped in chest.

"Squall?" she gasped. A smile graced her face. She'd been dying to see him again since this morning.

"No." The man said. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to inform him on who you really are, Rinoa Heartilly. Or should I say, Rinoa Caraway."


	6. Chapter 6

**Seraph_Heartilly: **Hello everyone! Finally I've had the time to work on my stories XD so I was glad to finally write the end to this chapter. I've noticed that I've been getting waaay more hits and adds than reviews. Yeah kind of a bummer. Anyway thank you all for reading this story and for sending me those very lovelyful reviews that make me happy. Okay, so now I present to your chapter 6! The question now is if Rinoa will be brave enough to finally tell Squall the secret of her identity….

* * *

A small gasp escaped from Rinoa's lips. All doubt was cleared about who this man was.

"S-Seifer?"

Her voice was hardly above a whisper.

Seifer stepped fully into the light.

"I knew that I'd seen you somewhere before," he continued. " That day before the concert. It's obvious that Squall didn't know who you really are."

Rinoa swallowed. This had been one of her greatest fears. Seifer knew, and he was going to tell Squall. Squall would never want to see her again. But she needed him, more than he even knew. She had to convince the guitarist not to reveal her secret to his band mate.

"Seifer, please, I can explain-"

"Explain what?" he demanded. "That you lied to my best friend?"

"Please, just listen-"

"Didn't you think that he had the right to know that he was becoming close to someone who actually is the general's daughter? There's people that would try to bring him down if they knew he was going out with you. It takes a certain type of social class to even be deemed 'worthy' of being with someone like you."

"I…" The hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You were just being selfish Rinoa."

Rinoa looked down to her feet. She didn't realize how terrible she was. The way Seifer explained things, made her feel like a monster. She'd never thought that Squall would be made to suffer by others simply for being with her.

"Look," Seifer said. "If you don't set this all right tomorrow by telling him the truth, I will. There's going to be no more lying to him. You just have to decide who you want to tell him, me or you."

With that being said, he left, leaving Rinoa feeling forlorn.

She sat and rested her back against the gravestone, her thoughts wracked with despair.

"Mom, I'm going to need help with this one…" she whispered.

* * *

Daylight had broken through the sky. Seifer rolled over on the couch, awoken by Squall knocking over what had been his and Zell's magnificent beer can castle.

"Ahem." Seifer growled at Squall.

Squall crossed his arms and gave a ten out of ten death glare.

"It's not my fault you guys are idiots." He dramatically looked around at the cans on the floor in exasperation.

Seifer snickered.

"Whatever…" Squall muttered under his breath.

The lead singer went over to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice. He popped the lid and drank straight out of the carton.

Seifer jolted up.

"Hey man, your not the only one who drinks that! Seriously, don't you care about sanitation?"

Squall put the carton back before giving Seifer an evil grin.

Just then Zell came running down the hall into the room, doing his ridiculous Zell run where he puts his hands at his back pockets.

"You guys have better not touched my morning hot dogs, or the orange juice, ya hear?!" he yelled.

"Whatever." Squall said.

Seifer just raised an eyebrow. No one in their right mind would take one of Zells breakfast dogs. Sure Seifer could pound Zell's ass in a fight, but taking a hit from a drummer who was also a martial artist sure wasn't his idea of fun.

Zell took out the orange juice carton, took of the lid, and chugged away.

Seifer looked to Squall and they couldn't keep from snickering.

Zell noticed and quickly spat out the orange drink.

"I have no idea what you guys did to this, and I don't wanna know!"

He grabbed one of his 'morning hotdogs' and ran off to go and practice his drums.

Seifer looked to Squall who was still smiling.

For Squall that was sort of unusual. He seemed happier lately.

He wondered if it was because of…

"Got anything planned for today?" Seifer asked.

Squall shook his head.

"Not really, but I was hoping to go and hang out with Rinoa."

"Rinoa, huh?" Seifer said. "You're starting to feel serous about her aren't you?"

Squall folded his arms and did the 'Squall scowl' looking away from Seifer.

"…Whatever."

Seifer laughed making the Squall scowl turn fiercer.

Squall walked down the hall back to his room.

The blonde remained in his seat, contemplating things.

Even though to others it'd have the opposite conclusion, the way Squall acted all defensive about how he felt towards Rinoa made Seifer realize just how much he must like her. It seemed like she was all he looked forward to.

He was almost beginning to wish that Squall wouldn't have to know who Rinoa truly was. But as his best friend, it was his duty to let Squall know that he was being deceived. He'd give Rinoa the benefit of revealing it herself, but he was prepared to come forward if she didn't have the guts.

* * *

Today was the day.

Rinoa took a deep breath. Somehow she'd have to rally up all her courage and tell Squall everything. All night hordes of worries had been plaguing her mind and the daylight hadn't bid any of them leave. Squall, as amazing as he was, didn't seem like someone who trusted in people very easily. She knew this would hurt him. She just hoped that he cared for her enough to stick around afterwards. There didn't seem to be any particularly good way to tell him, so she had finally decided to do it straight forward and simple, and just leave him to decide how to take it.

She wanted to look nice for him today and had went through the pain-staking effort of concealing her ugly bruise with the help of some lifesaving makeup. Her hair was put up in a wispy bun with some loose strands of hair framing her face. She was wearing one of her favorite shirts, a tight fitted navy blue halter top and dark denim jeans. She dialed a number into the phone and put it up to her ear, slipping on some high-heeled boots with her other hand.

The other end of the phone rang a couple times before a smooth voice answered,

"Hello?"

"Hey Squall."

"Hi Rinoa. How are you?"

"I'm fine…Actually I was kind of wondering if you wouldn't mind hanging out today."

He paused.

"I wouldn't mind. Where do you want me to pick you up?"

Rinoa thought about it. If she spent all day with Squall then told him her secret and he got mad, it'd make it harder for her to take it when he didn't want to see her anymore. It'd be best to just meet him and tell him right away, then no one would hurt as much.

"Actually, I was thinking I'd go and meet you at your house."

"Rinoa, I don't think you should walk all the way over here by yourself." His voice sounded concerned.

Rinoa smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm a big girl. Besides, I'll take the bus."

Before he could protest she quickly told him she'd see him soon and hung up.

Luckily she was able to leave the house without having to confront Caraway about last night. He was off somewhere for business.

Soon she had gotten on the city bus, which took her to a street right next to Squalls. She'd remembered how to get to his home because the times that he drove her here and back she'd been making a mental map of it. One learns to do this often when you live in a sprawling monster of a city like Deling.

The whole while she walked to his house she couldn't keep from nervously clutching at the ring she always wore on a chain around her neck. It was her mother's wedding ring and it had always comforted her to feel the cool weight of it in her hand. Still it wasn't doing much to soothe her now.

She made it to the doorstep and hesitated to knock. She'd never imagined there'd be a time when she'd dread to see Squall.

"_Quick and easy. Quick and easy." _She chanted repeatedly to herself.

She shook her head. _"Here I'm about to do one of the biggest things in my life and I'm resorting to the band-aid method."_

Quickly she knocked on the door a couple times before she could chicken out and run back home.

Within a few moments the door opened and she was met by Squall. He was wearing jeans and a nice fitting band shirt that said Hellfire in sinister lettering. It made him look like a high school rock kid, but really just made him even cuter.

_And to think I may never get to see 'this' again._

"Hello Squall." She smiled at his shirt then up at him.

_I've been deceiving you since we've met, but please don't hate me. _

He noticed what she was implying with her glances at his shirt and gave her a small crooked grin.

"What? It's one of my favorites." He opened the door wider and took a step back. "Come on in. It's safe, my 'roommates' are gone."

Rinoa stepped inside. She turned to Squall and caught him eying her. He realized it and his eyes looked a bit startled. He looked to the ground and folded his arms.

"So um…"

Rinoa giggled from behind her hand. He was so cute when he was nervous. Obviously he was now having some trouble thinking up a conversation starter.

Finally he said,

"Was everything alright with you and your dad when you got home yesterday?"

Rinoa groaned at having to remember last night. It was monumental in the 'suckyness' level.

"He wasn't too upset. He was still his jerky self, though."

She didn't care to elaborate on anymore of the evening's events. Squall most likely wouldn't respond well to the news about Gillespie. Also that tidbit of information might tip him off that she was of high social status. _Oh yea, I was supposed to be telling him all about that whole little 'I'm the general's daughter' thing. I can't keep letting myself get sidetracked._

He walked closer to her till he stood right in front of her and he gently traced his fingers over her wounded cheek. His fingertips were a bit calloused from playing the guitar and it tickled a bit on her cheek. The sensation was delightful and made her close her eyes and smile.

"Nothing like 'that' happened. I'm pretty sure it will never happen again."

When she opened her eyes she saw that he was smiling at her.

"Can I show you something?" he asked quietly.

Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, sure, anything."

"Come with me to my room." He said and led her down the hallway.

She followed him. Her mind couldn't even contemplate on what the 'thing' was. All she could think about is what she had to tell him, and if it would or wouldn't break his heart. _Maybe it won't be such a big deal as it seems. Perhaps it won't even matter to him. _

She started to feel a bit more assured.

_Yea, I bet everything will be fine. He'll probably even laugh at me for worrying about it so much. _

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable." He told her when they were inside the room.

She sat down on his bed and he picked up his acoustic guitar and sat down beside her.

"I want to play something for you."

Rinoa nodded and smiled.

"And well, so you know, it's new and stuff, so I still need to fix it up and everything. I also still haven't added the words since I'm not done writing them…"

Rinoa giggled.

"It's alright, Squall! You don't need to defend it from me. I'm sure I'll love it."

He frowned a little but didn't say anything. He propped the guitar on his leg and strummed the first notes.

A few minutes into it Rinoa found herself swaying gently to the beautiful melody. Unlike Squall's other fierce songs, this one was tender and lovely, yet somehow just as powerful as his other songs. She could imagine the potential of all the more passion he could add to this masterpiece using his voice.

Rinoa was nearly startled when he stopped.

"That's as far as I've gotten." He said.

Rinoa smiled and hugged one of his arms.

"That was…that was perhaps the most beautiful thing I've heard."

Squall smirked. "I think you're being generous."

Without using too much force she playfully hit him on the chest.

"What-ever! I love it and I'm not taking that back!"

He smiled and rested his head on the top of hers.

Rinoa knew that if she didn't tell him who she was now, she never could. It was one of those moments of no return because now it was dawning on her how she truly felt for him. This was going to hurt so much. Compared to losing him, losing everything she ever owned wouldn't be bad at all. If she didn't tell him now, she'd have to risk Seifer being the one to tell him, and that would hurt Squall even more. The last thing she wanted to do on earth was to hurt him.

"Squall, I-I, there's something I have to tell you."

"Hm?" he responded. Lightly raising his head to look at her.

"It's something important…"

"What is it?" he asked, sounding a bit concerned.

It's all or nothing now…

"Squall, I'm…I'm in love with you."


	7. Chapter 7

**SeraphxHeartilly: **Good day everyone! Welcome to the 7th installment…not too long till we reach the pinnacle. Muahah but I shall leave you in suspense. ;) I want to thank you all for those wonderful reviews, they totally put me on cloud nine and made me extra motivated to write lots more. Keep on sending in your thoughts and opinions ;D Alright I'll be quiet now…

* * *

Squall couldn't breathe. Had she just said what he thought she had? The beautiful raven-haired woman watched him for his response. Franticly she started to mumble,

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to speak. _Breathe damn you! _He reminded himself. He was still in so much shock. Of course he felt undeniably happy that Rinoa cared for him, but _love _meant so much more than for her to just _like _him. This wasn't the same as the affection that some groupie would feel for him. Squall had never felt this way about anyone before. Yeah it felt great, but it was equally as terrifying. So many things he'd loved were gone now. What if by simply admitting his love for Rinoa, she'd be gone too.

"It's alright Rinoa…I'm not…scared."

She looked into his eyes with her warm chocolate brown ones. Already he was feeling a bit less tense.

"I want you to know that I meant it though, Squall."

_She really loves me…_he thought. Absently he had begun running his fingers through the loose strands of Rinoa's hair. It was so soft and silk-like.

"Can I ask you something, Rinoa?"

"mhmm." She answered. Closing her eyes as he stroked her hair.

"Why?" he asked her.

"What?" Her eyes opened.

"…Why do you love me? I don't really understand…"

He could've sworn he saw her blush before she quickly turned her focus to her lap. She grabbed one of his hands and began tracing along it with her fingertips.

"Well for one…you're the most amazing person I've met. You're so fierce, independent, and passionate. When I'm with you I feel like nothing else in the world matters…I know that's so cheesy and cliché, but I don't know how else to say-"

His lips locked with hers before he could stop himself. He worried he'd moved too fast and that she'd pull away, but to his surprise she melted right into the kiss. He was amazed by how soft her lips were. It felt like he was kissing an angel. He smiled through the kiss since he realized that the thought wasn't too far off. Eagerly their tongues found each other and began to dance together. She tasted so amazing. He almost moaned when he felt her hands running through his hair. He held her closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her. They broke apart for breath and she nuzzled into the small of his neck while delivering it short, sweet kisses. Using his hand, he gently lifted her face to his and was going to go in for another deep kiss when he heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Oh Squall!!" He heard an excited Zell call.

Footsteps could be heard heading to the room.

Rinoa broke apart from him, the look of longing still in her eyes. He smiled at her.

"Trust me, I feel the same way." He whispered.

She smiled back at him.

The door opened revealing Seifer dressed up in some of his 'gig' clothes. He was in black pants with many chains attached and a tight dark violet shirt that showed off to the fans his physique. On his neck hung several more chains and his favorite cross pendant.

"Hey Puberty Boy!" he shouted. "Man, we so got a last minute gig-"

His eyes fell on Rinoa.

"I see _she's _here." He said coldly.

Squall frowned and glared daggers at his band mate.

What in Hyne was his problem with Rinoa?

"Yeah, _she _is." He replied sharply, he put his arm around Rinoa. Oddly he noticed that she suddenly seemed really timid now that Seifer was here. She had her hands folded in her lap and her eyes were intent on them. Was she scared of him?

"Anyway," Seifer resumed. "We have to be at the Deling Marquee theatre in about an hour and a half." With that said he walked out into the hall.

"I don't know what the hell his problem is." Squall growled when they were alone.

Rinoa remained silent.

"Don't worry about him, Rinoa." Squall tried to reassure.

Rinoa just nodded.

"Would you like to come to the show?" he asked. He enjoyed having her there. It made the show more important to him.

"No thanks." She said. "I'm actually pretty tired…I was up early this morning. I probably couldn't handle a concert right now."

Something sounded odd about how she said that, but Squall decided not to push on it.

"Alright then. I'll drop you off at your house before I head over to the Marquee."

* * *

Rinoa got off the bike with Squall's assistance.

"Knock 'em dead at the show!" Rinoa told him. She gave him a quick hug.

"I'll do my best," he replied, "Even though I'll be without my good luck charm.

Rinoa laughed then stood up on her tiptoes to reach his lips. His lips met hers and they kissed passionately for a few minutes.

When she pulled back Squall gave her a small crooked smile.

"You kissed me like it was the last kiss we'll ever have."

Rinoa frowned, but quickly covered it up with a smile.

It just might be the last one…

"It won't be, if you'll still have me. Good night, Squall."

" 'Night." He replied.

He watched her walk away and couldn't help but to wonder

What does she mean if I'll still have her? Of course I will…

But there wasn't much time to contemplate, as he had to get his ass to the Marquee before Seifer filleted him.

Once Rinoa had made it to her bedroom she immediately burst into tears. She threw herself onto her bed, not even stopping to take off her shoes, and buried her face in the pillows. The dampened cotton sheets couldn't do much to mute her choked sobs.

_Seifer's going to tell him…He'll know that I haven't…Squall's going to be devastated. _

The young woman curled up on her side, hugging one of the pillows close to her chest.

_Why couldn't I just tell him? Instead I had to go and make things harder by confessing how I feel for him. Why can't I do anything right?? _

She pounded her balled up fist into the mattress in frustration.

_I love him so much. He has to understand why I couldn't tell him. But who knows…maybe he doesn't feel how I feel. He didn't tell me that he loves me back…maybe he doesn't._

Rinoa didn't want to imagine that, but it was hard not too. So many fears and insecurities were preying on her all at once. All she could do now is close her eyes and hope, hope that somehow everything would work out.

* * *

It was merely a matter of minutes till curtain time. Seifer took another long drag from his cigarette.

Squall sat beside him, doing a last minute tune-up on his guitar. It was obvious to Seifer that Rinoa hadn't told Squall squat. There's no way that Squall would be this calm and not have told him anything at all.

_I honestly didn't want to be the one to have to do this, Rinoa. _He thought to himself.

"So Seifer," Squall said coolly, "What exactly do you have against Rinoa?"

Seifer snickered. Seeing Squall all pissed off had always been amusing to him. The young man with his scar's twin had been a bit hostile towards him since that little episode at the house. Seifer didn't hate Rinoa exactly, he just was pissed that she'd deceived Squall.

"What if there was something important about Rinoa that she'd neglected to tell you?"

"Like what?" Squall said nonchalant. Seifer knew he had the singer's full attention.

Now all he had to do was say five easy little words 'she is the General's daughter'

Five easy little words that would uncover all the lies…and completely break Squall.

Seifer wasn't a fool. He could tell Squall was head over heels for Rinoa, and it seemed that Rinoa felt the same way. After he'd been thinking on it for the past couple days, it had even begun to make sense on why she'd kept her full identity from him. Still, that didn't make her decision the _right _one. As much as Seifer didn't want to admit it, he knew that Rinoa Heartilly was the first thing besides music to make Squall truly happy since Raine's death. Seifer planned on dealing justice today, but hell, as much as he loved being a villain, he wasn't pure evil.

"Like that…she really cares for you."

Regardless of what Seifer was going to say, Squall was planning on being angry. He was ready to go all out on Seifer when suddenly he realized what the guitarist had said. Slowly a smile formed on his lips.

"I know." Was all he said.

Seifer growled. Now he was pissed at himself. In the end _he _had ended up being the one with no guts. Well, whatever. He was curious at how long Rinoa could keep this all up, and deep down he kind of hoped it would work out.

"Curtain time!" One of the stage managers called.

Seifer stood up and walked towards the stage. He paused for a moment then said to Squall,

"Oh and Puberty Boy, I hope you worked on the chorus, the other night you sounded worse than Clay Aiken."

He stayed long enough to see the patented Squall scowl, then resumed his walk to the stage, grinning all the way.


	8. Chapter 8

Rinoa couldn't recall a time that her eyes had stung this much. Throughout the whole night she had been sobbing all over the tear-stained bed till she had lost her voice. She was too afraid to even glance at the mirror in dread of having to see the red, sticky mess her face must be. The distressed woman just lied in bed, feeling the minutes go by. There was no reason to get up today. The guy she loved probably hated her now that he'd been informed of her treachery. He was the one to show her life outside the cage, but without him, maybe life outside wasn't as great as it was cracked up to be. There was a light knock at her door.

"Miss Caraway!" One of the maids called. Rinoa flinched at the use of that discarded last name.

"…Yes?" Rinoa shouted back the best she could with the hoarse voice her throat choked out.

"It's time for me to wash your linens, may I come in?"

"Not now…" she grumbled in response.

"Excuse me, Miss Caraway?" the maid tried again.

Rinoa turned her face back to the pillow and muttered too softly to hear "Can't you see I'm busy wallowing in self-pity?"

She sat silent and listened to the defeated maid's footstep fade away as she walked down the hall to clean another room instead. The young woman remained motionless in bed for what felt like years, yet her alarm clock conveyed it to be only a matter of hours. Jet-black strands of her hair matted her face, sticking to her skin by her own tears. Now she decided, it was time to decent herself by taking a much needed shower. Soon she was standing in the comfort of the warm spray of water. After some time a loud knock could be heard from her bedroom door. Rinoa got out from the shower and quickly wrapped her body in a towel.

"Yes?" she called, opening the bathroom door and sticking her head out.

"Rinoa, dear?" Caraway called in return.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Mr. Gillespie is coming over for lunch in an hour. I know your last encounter with him and his son wasn't as pleasant as it could've been, but would you please be present and help mend their impression of your character? I know personally that you normally are delightful and charming around guest."

Rinoa's first instinct was to give Caraway a piece of her mind. That night she was trying to be perfectly pleasant, but Mr. Gillespie's leech of a son had to start being a complete idiot.

"Alright _father_, I'll do my best." She told him.

"Great." He responded. He obviously he was quite pleased. "Remember, you only have about an hour to get ready now."

With that said Caraway walked away, most likely to his study. She held her breath till she heard his last footstep fade away.

"He can be so ridiculous!" Rinoa muttered to herself as she rummaged through her closet.

The weather looked particularly nice outside to Rinoa, so she took out a pale yellow sundress to wear. She put the dress on along with a pair of matching yellow high-heels. Looking into the mirror, she pulled up her slightly dampened raven locks with a large clip and secured it to the back of her head. Quickly she put on a few finishing touches with makeup. Some peach lipstick, eyeliner, and a bit of cover up for her bruise even though she probably didn't need it. What used to be a purple and blue monster of a bruise was now faded and hardly noticeable. There was another knock at her door. It was one of the maids.

"Miss Caraway, you're father told me to inform you that the Gillespie's are going to arrive in under 20 minutes. He wants you to be ready early."

"Okay, thank you!" she called back.

Not much time left. Underneath the bed, Rinoa pulled out a long make-shift rope put together by tying together multiple sheets.

"Haven't used you in a while." Rinoa whispered with a smile.

Rinoa slid open the window and tossed the rope out after tying the end of it securely to the bedpost. The young woman looked out the window and gasped. The room seemed to be so far from the ground.

_"You can do this Rinoa! You've done it before!" _

Keeping that thought in her mind, she got onto the windowsill and began the crawl down.

_"Tell me again why I put on high heels? At least they're shorter heels than most of my shoes." _

Almost down. It was taking a bit longer than usual because of her exerted efforts not to slip. She heard the sound of an engine and saw that a car was pulling into the mansion's parking lot. It didn't take long for her to realize it was the Gillespies'. They had come early. The car wasn't facing her way, so now was her chance. She dropped herself a few inches from the ground before making a sprint to outside the gate.

"Yeah! I did it!" Rinoa squealed while giving a big happy jump. A few passerbies gave her a strange look, but she didn't care.

_"Now to decide where to go…I don't really know. I didn't think about it, I just knew I needed to get out…" _

She started walking aimlessly, wishing she had brought some money with her. At least the weather was nice. There was a light breeze that felt good against her skin and helped to dry her hair. The sweet sound of children's laughter reached her ears. She had reached a park. Rinoa sat on an empty bench and watched the many children playing with each other. She watched the happy fathers and mothers and couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of jealously. A father pushed his daughter on the swing, making silly airplane noises. A smile stretched on Rinoa's face. "Daddy, higher! Higher!" The girl shouted. She was giggling so much that her chubby little cheeks were growing more rose colored by the minute.

Rinoa was so into the scene that the sound of the rev of a motorcycle on the street behind her startled her.

_"And I was doing so good…I hadn't been thinking of him. Great. Now I won't be able to stop." _

She folded her arms and frowned.

"I'd do anything to make him not hate me. Well I ruined my chance… I didn't tell him the truth when I could've"

"Rinoa?" a voice impossible to forget said from behind her.

She jumped up from the bench. Simultaneously her heart forgot how to beat.

"Squall…" she said lightly.

He smiled his adorable small crooked smile.

"You know, I've been hoping to run into you. I have no way to contact you, I'm lucky to have seen you just now."

Rinoa blushed. _"Well I hadn't been able to give you my number because it'd be easy to trace it to the presidential mansion…"_

"Hehe…Sorry about that." She said nervously. Then added reluctantly, "Is there something you needed to tell me?"

It was a surprise he'd been _hoping _to see her, especially since what he now must know about her. Perhaps he'd come to see her just to tell her off, but he seemed way too serene.

"Well actually yeah," he said. "It's something kind of big. I just found out yesterday." He looked at her then to the ground.

The color in Rinoa's face must've drained to deathly white.

So he did find out…is he going to confront me about it? Ask me if it's true? Well I've got to be brave this time. No running. I'll tell him the complete truth.

She took a deep breath.

"What is it Squall?"

"It's that…my band got signed to a record label. We have a producer and everything."

"Oh my goodness! Squall that's amazing! I'm so happy for you." Rinoa ran to him and pulled him into a big hug.

Squall eagerly returned the embrace. He chuckled a bit at her enthusiasm.

"Aren't you excited Squall?" she asked.

"Yeah, the whole band is. We have all our songs ready for CD and in two days we're going to be on Good Morning Deling and VH1 to promote our album."

Rinoa was so happy and relieved at the same time. It was hard not to cry. His dreams were coming true, and obviously he didn't hate her. He must not know she was the General's daughter. She still had time to set things right.

Her hug tightened around him before she pulled back and looked up into his eyes.

"I am so going to be the first one to buy your CD."

He smirked.

"Don't worry, the first copy's reserved for you."

She was surprised when he leaned down and gave a short, sweet kiss that landed right on the corner of her mouth. On their own, her fingers went up to trace the spot as a ridiculous grin found its way to her face.

"Tonight," he said almost nervously, "I was wondering if you'd like to come and celebrate with me. Would you like going to La Café Deling?"

La Café Deling was not known for being a cheap place. It was perhaps the fanciest dining in Deling. He wanted to take her there?

"I'd love to celebrate with you." She replied.

"So, I'll pick you up at 6:30?" he asked.

"That's fine. Does that mean I have to _not_ see you again till 6:30? I was kind of hoping for you to kidnap me till then."

He smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say something like that."

* * *

Rinoa had dragged Squall into maybe six designer stores. She had told him that if he was going to be a huge rock star he needed some awesome rock star clothes. He didn't particularly like shopping, but he loved seeing how happy she got after picking out something he liked. Seeing that amazing smile ceased every one of his complaints. Funny thing was that he was catching on to something. She just loved getting him into tight shirts. She had picked out the fifth tight shirt and finally he said,

"Rinoa, if you wanted to see, then all you had to do was ask."

Rinoa laughed nervously. "Umm what are you talking about…I just like a nice fit is all…"

When no one was looking he lifted up his shirt enough so that she could get a good view of his abs. She blushed more ruby colored than a ruby dragon.

"Wow- I mean umm…I…I need to go and look at shoes!"

She stumbled; knocking into a clothes rack, then went to a part of the store where he couldn't see her. Squall felt a fit of uncontrollable laughter come on. He laughed so much he had to lean over.

"You suck, Leonhart!" an embarrassed voice yelled to him from some isle.

Later in another store, Squall was looking through some sunglasses of his favorite brand: Elnoyle.

"Whoa, those look really cool on you Squall!" Rinoa praised.

"Thanks." He said.

He picked out a pair that looked a lot like the violet sunglasses he had which she really liked.

"Stay still."

He put them on her and laughed.

"Now you look like me, except you're the female, sexy version."

She giggled.

"I have to get these!"

She went to the register and was about to pay with a credit card she had found in her dress pocket, but quickly he slapped down some of his own money on the counter.

"It's alright Squall, I can get it."

"It's on me."

"Thanks.".

He felt her slip her hand into his as they left the store.

* * *

It was nearing 6:30 and they had dinner reservations at 7:00. Squall had dropped her off at the usual place on Revista Street. He was going to change, and she was going to do the same. Sneaking back into the house was going to be a challenge. It looked like the Gillespies were still here. The window where she had hung her rope was closed. Caraway was probably furious. Located at the back of the mansion was a separate entrance for the maids. Carefully she snuck inside. To her chagrin, the entrance had one maid in it.

"Miss Heartilly!" she exclaimed, startled.

Rinoa smiled. Finally one of them used her right name.

"Shh! Please don't tell my father, I'm just trying to get back to my room. He's kind of upset right now."

The maid nodded like she didn't need anyone to tell her to know that fact. Rinoa felt sorry for what the maid staff had to deal with. She knew better than anyone that her father was a sight to behold when angry.

"The hall is empty, Miss Heartilly, go quickly!"

Rinoa nodded and thanked her. Heeding the maid's advice, she crept to her room and made it there undetected. She had the perfect dress to wear tonight. She put it on and admired it in the mirror. The dress was long and cream colored. There wasn't much design on the dress, but the way it was tailored to perfectly fit the curves of her body, and the unique sheen of the fabric made it look very expensive and sophisticated. Rinoa curled her hair and pulled it into an elegant wispy bun, letting some strands of hair hang out to frame her face. Skillfully her hands applied some shimmering makeup to her eyes. Squall would be waiting for her soon. Now she put on some matching heels, and quickly grabbed a sheer white shawl to cover her arms because the dress was sleeveless. Without wasting another second, she raced back to the maid entrance and walked as fast as she could back to Revista Street. Squall was patiently waiting for her, but this time he had a sleek black car. Rinoa had no idea what kind it was, she was never one to learn those things, but it sure did look expensive.

"When'd you get this?" she asked. He looked kind of uncomfortable leaning against it, fiddling with the keys. It was obvious he preferred his motorcycle. The look on his face made Rinoa giggle.

He saw her and his eyes widened.

Rinoa thought she had looked pretty nice in her room. Was she actually funny looking?

"My…my producer gave it to me. You look…"

"Yes?"

"Absolutely beautiful."

Rinoa blushed.

"Thanks, Squall."

He was wearing dark jeans, one of the tight shirts she had chose for him and an expensive looking blazer.

She smiled. "I see you're wearing one of those tight shirts."

He smirked and opened the passenger door for her.

"Just for you Rinoa Heartilly." She laughed and got inside.

They had arrived at La Café Deling. The place was packed with clientele. Most likely they were all strapped for cash. They went to the front desk and Rinoa half expected to be greeted by some French waiter with a curly mustache. Actually the waiter was a perfectly normal guy. His nametag said: Jared.

"How may I help you?" he asked.

"I have a reservation here under the name of Leonhart." Squall told him.

"Oh yes, here's the paper right here…Do you happen to be Squall Leonhart?" he asked.

Squall nodded.

"Man, I saw your show the other day at the Marquee! You guys were amazing."

"Thanks." Squall said.

"Yeah…well here, let me lead you to your table!" He led them through the crowded room to the outside tables.

Rinoa grabbed Squall's hand.

"You're fame is already starting!" she told him.

Squall smiled. "Whatever."

They were seated at their table and Rinoa was in awe of how beautiful the outside set up was. Many exotic looking flowers were everywhere and even wrapped around the post of the fancy dimmed lamps. On all the tables were tall candles that gave the place an intimate and romantic feeling. The night sky full of shimmering stars was the perfect accompaniment.

"It's so beautiful." She said to Squall.

"I'm glad you like it."

The server came and took their order. They were eating their food and Rinoa couldn't help but to feel nervous. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was actually their first…date. Her eyes kept on locking onto Squall's then she'd quickly bring them to something else.

"Is there anything I can do to make you stop being nervous?" he asked.

Rinoa blushed. Darn he had noticed.

"There's one thing." She said.

She scooted her chair so that she was beside him.

"Can I see you hand?"

He put it on her lap, using her finger she began tracing along it.

"That always works." She said with a smile.

His hand was actually pretty soft except for the tips of his fingers where he played the guitar strings. They had slight calluses that tickled against her fingers.

"The way you look tonight reminds me of something." He said quietly.

"What would that be?"

"The first time I saw you."

She laughed. "I must have looked like such a dork that night."

"You've got to be kidding." He said. Then almost under his breath he said, "I thought you looked like an angel."

Rinoa looked at his face, into his storm-colored eyes.

"Has that changed to you?" she asked.

He gave her his most genuine smile. "Not at all."

Without another word Rinoa lifted her head up and kissed him passionately, not caring if anyone was watching. Squall mustn't have cared either, because he brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her forward to deepen the kiss. Finally they pulled back.

"Rinoa?" Squall whispered.

"Yes?"

"…I love you."

Her eyes watered with happy tears.

" Squall, I love you too."

He kissed her again and Rinoa couldn't help but think that life couldn't possibly get any better than this exact moment.

"Rinoa?" An angry masculine voice asked.

The lovers broke apart from their kiss.

"What in Hyne do you think you're doing?" Nicholas Gillespie demanded.

Rinoa was furious. What right did he have to come and invade her life?

"I'm on a date with Squall. What are _you _doing?" Venom was evident in her voice.

"I saw you through the window, leaving the mansion dressed up like that. You're father said you weren't there. Obviously you've been sneaking around seeing _him_. I followed you to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, and here I find you tonguing this bastard!"

"You have no right to call him that!" Rinoa shouted at him.

People were gathering around the little scene they were making.

"We're leaving here Rinoa." Nicholas said. He tugged Rinoa up from her seat by her arm. Rinoa cried out in pain. His grip was so tight it left red marks where he touched her. Suddenly Gillespie was the one crying out in pain. He released her. Apparently one well-aimed punch from Squall decked him right in the nose. Nicholas clutched at it; blood was visible on his hands.

"Don't ever touch her like that again." Squall said in a deceptively calm voice, which held a subtle dangerous edge. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell am _I_? _I'm _her fiancé."

Squall had been livid before, now all color drained from him.

"What?"

"Don't listen to him, Squall!" Rinoa shouted. "He's lying!"

Gillespie snickered. "You're father General Caraway, and my father, have already settled everything for our marriage, Rinoa. It's just a matter of time really."

"We're NOT getting married Gillespie!" Rinoa went to hit him, but he easily deflected the poor punch.

"You're the general's daughter?" Squall asked.

Rinoa remained silent.

"Is that why you never let me even get a glimpse of where you lived, why you never gave me a phone number?"

"Squall, I-I can explain." she stammered.

"No, just tell me. Is it true or not?"

Rinoa looked down to the ground. She wasn't going to lie to him anymore.

"Yes it is."

Nicholas laughed. "Now this is _too_ good She's been lying to you this whole time? I wonder what else she hasn't told you. Obviously she hasn't told you about _me_."

"Shut up, Nicholas!" Rinoa yelled.

Squall's eyes held the look of a man whose whole world had crashed around him. When he looked at Rinoa, he had to fight to look into her eyes.

"You…lied to me. You did it this whole time."

"Squall." She tried to reason. "It truly isn't as awful as it sounds. If you'd just let me explain everything-"

Squall didn't seem to be listening.

"I trusted you. I even told you that I lov-. Forget it. I'm leaving."

True to his word, he walked to the exit.

"Squall! Please don't leave!" Rinoa cried out.

The man never looked back.

Nicholas smiled an impish grin.

"Well now that _that's _settled, Rinoa please allow me to return you to the mansion. I'll take care of you tonight."

The emerald-eyed man reached for her hand, but Rinoa reflexively stepped back. Using all the force she could muster, she slapped him hard. There was a cut on his face where she drew blood. She delivered the man a glare fiercer than that of an angry Shiva.

"Don't you dare _ever _speak with me again Gillespie. I will _never _marry you. I don't want to ever see you, hear you, or even think about you."

With that said, she stormed out of the restaurant. A crestfallen Gillespie watched her go, his mouth uselessly hanging open.

"Ahem." The server said to him, "Someone has to pay their bill."

Nicholas glared with vexation at the bill that was placed in his hands.


	9. Chapter 9

In the past hour Squall's greatest fears and insecurities were confirmed. Supposed concepts like love, and trust, were things that would always be unobtainable for him. Any attempts to acquire either had only left him hurt and broken. Hadn't he learned that lesson already after Raine? Then why had he ever been foolish enough to try again? That was a stupid question to ask himself. He knew why. It was because every moment he'd spent with _her_ had made him feel _alive_ again. Made him think that perhaps there was truly good people in the world who cared about more than just themselves. Contrary to before, now he felt even more dead, and even more doubtful of others. He laughed at the irony. It was an empty, heartless sound. _I should have known that something was up with her. Actually a few times I had suspected her of not telling me everything, but my heart made me overlook it. My heart made me never have a clue…but someone else did._ He remembered the day of his performance at the Marquee Theatre. Seifer had been acting strangely cold towards Rinoa at their house. Then at the show it seemed that Seifer was slowly but surely building up to tell him something. What was it that he had said…it _was "What if there was something important about Rinoa that she'd neglected to tell you?"_ Squall had expected the guitarist to reveal some shocking revelation, but all he had said was " _Like that she really cares for you."_ Why had he changed his mind? Now it was obvious to Squall. Seifer had known the whole time. The car rolled up the driveway. Squall turned it off and got out, headed to the front door. His _friend_ had better be ready for one hell of a surprise.

Seifer was just about to light his cigarette when the unexpected slam of the front door caused it to fall from his mouth.

"Damn." He muttered.

He then noticed the clearly distressed man.

"Hyne, Squall, what the hell happened?"

Too late he realized that he shouldn't have opened his mouth. Only one thing on earth could set Squall off like this. He knew about Rinoa. Still, his friend seemed _too _angry for it to be just that. He must also know that…

"Shit…" Seifer whispered.

The only other thing he could think at this moment was that he sure was glad that Squall didn't have his gunblade with him. He'd say that out loud, but right now he didn't want to be giving the guy any ideas.

Squall stopped walking and stood still and few feet away from Seifer. He folded his arms and voiced all too calmly,

"You knew."

Rarely was there a time when Squall Leonhart actually scared Seifer. The times when Seifer'd upset him so much that he was livid with emotion didn't intimidate him in the slightest. But when Squall was in a deep icy rage and acted cool and collected, it was just the calm before the storm. Now was one of those rare times. Normally Seifer would say something cocky like 'I knew what?' but something in his gut told him that now was not the time to test the patience of the man standing before him.

"Yes, I did." The blonde man answered boldly.

Squall nodded. He had already been aware of that. The blood tasted coppery in his mouth from where he had been biting his lip, trying to keep himself from having an angry outburst. Right now he felt like he could take on 10 men. At the moment, anyone who'd doubt that could only be a fool. _Keep your cool. Keep your cool. _He wordlessly recited to himself.

"So," he began, "Why exactly didn't you feel the need to enlighten me?"

"I did at first."

"Then why didn't you?" The intensity of his voice rose.

Seifer was silent.

"Why?" Squall nearly shouted.

"Telling you conflicted with a more important interest."

" 'A more important interest?'" Squall spat mockingly. "What could be more important than telling your _friend_ that the one person they'd come to care about with everything they had was keeping the truth from them? That she was someone completely different than I thought she was. Holy Diablos, what in Hyne could be more important than telling me that Rinoa was the general's daughter and that she has…a fiancé?"

Squall was all out shouting now. His balled up fist trembled. For a moment his anger flashed to something else…sadness. It looked as if he might drop to his knees at any moment. His heart was emotionally drained. His eyes glimmered with would-be tears. Most people thought of Seifer as an arrogant, heartless bastard. Sometimes he even thought that of himself. But right now that 'non existent' heart ached like hell's fire. Maybe if he _had _come forward this could've been avoided. Still, he knew, if he could somehow go back in time, he would have done the exact same thing.

Squall rose with newly kindled rage. Rage was the easier emotion to allow himself to be consumed by. It was far more favorable than the pain.

"You still haven't answered me, Seifer. What interest was more important than saving me from _this_?

There was a thoughtful pause from the blonde. He was about to answer, but instead just smirked.

"You'll never believe me."

"Try me, dammit." Squall all but hissed.

"You _really _wanna know?"

"Yes, Seifer, I really do."

"I wanted to protect you."

For a moment those words pushed Squall from the edge, he was in a place beyond anger, then suddenly the overwhelming feeling was replaced by something numb. It was a familiar feeling, or rather 'lack of'. It was the same way he felt when he was 15 after his mother, Raine died.

"Protect me?" Squall said softly. "The only thing you succeeded in was making yourself dead to me."

* * *

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_voicemail.

The cycle repeated itself for about the hundredth time. Rinoa angrily slammed down the phone. A defeated sigh escaped from her lips. It was impossible to fix this. How could she when Squall wouldn't even give her a short minute to explain anything? Leaving a message wasn't an option. He'd deleted it without a second thought. Besides this was the type of thing she needed to tell him directly. Maybe she should just stop by his apartment. But she was deathly afraid. It would rip her apart to have to see the hate and hurt in his eyes as he slammed the door shut in her face. No, he wouldn't listen to her then either. The situation was curiously ironic. For her whole life Rinoa had been given anything she could ever ask for. Now for once in her life she truly desired something, but no amount of begging or whining could get her this. She wanted Squall Leonhart. Unfortunately wanting her was the farthest thing from his mind. She felt petty and cheap for having kept her identity from him. So selfish an act it had been. For any other guy, they'd probably forgive her for such a thing. But never would someone like Squall. She knew that his trust was something rare that should be ardently protected and cherished. Agonizing was the thought that Squall believed the words of that miserable snake Gillespie. When he had proclaimed he was her fiancé, the look Squall gave her made her want to die. Desperately she had tried to tell him that it was all lies, but it didn't seem that Squall really heard her. Too submersed was he in his own thoughts. A sudden awareness of dampness on her hand broke her chain of thought. She had forgotten that she'd been crying.

"Rinoa." Caraway called from the other side of the bedroom door.

Quickly Rinoa dabbed a tissue to her face in an effort to wipe away the tears. What did the man want with her now? Hadn't he done enough after he'd brought that damned imp into her life?

"What?" she asked in an almost callous voice.

"I- Rinoa…It's obvious that you're not feeling well. Like a coward I've been avoiding it, but I think that we should talk."

Rinoa laughed a cold laugh.

"You want to talk Caraway? I think you're a couple years too late for that."

Caraway didn't reply. A long pause followed. Rinoa thought that maybe he had left and she hadn't heard. There was a short click as the door opened. Caraway walked inside wearing a simple white dress shirt and black dress pants. His tie was loose in a way he'd probably prefer death to than for one of his prestigious guest to see. Faint dark circles were visible beneath his eyes suggesting sleep had eluded him for most of the night, if not for all of it. A small part of her felt compassion for him, yet a bigger part felt a petty glee. He deserved to suffer a bit, for he had been the root to so much of her own suffering. In a small part of her mind though, she knew that she needed someone to be angry at. As they say 'Misery loves company'.

"Why?" he asked her.

"Why, what?"

What was he talking about?

"Why do you always call me that? Caraway." He sat down in the sitting chair beside her bed, facing her.

Rinoa frowned. Why was he asking her this now? Clearly he must know why. She'd started calling him that two years after her mom passed away. The years when he'd distanced himself from showing any love towards his daughter. The years when she'd realized that he'd buried his heart that day in her mother's grave. It was then to be shared with no one.

"It's your name." She said indifferently. "The name of the General of Galbadia. The name you cherish most."

Caraway looked down to his folded hands.

"I heard about what happened last night. After you stormed through the house screaming about how you hated Nicholas, I called Charles Gillespie and asked what the devil his son had done."

A scowl made its way across Rinoa's features.

"I bet that the boy did you proud. Not only did he chase away the love of my life, but he made sure that you'd never have to worry about anyone seeing me with…what had you called him? 'Uneducated street scum'?" She quoted from the night he had hit her. "I bet you can't wait to have Nicholas in the family."

"What did you just say?"

Rinoa frowned. Did she really have to repeat all that?

"Which part?" she asked.

"The part about that musician boy being the love of your life."

Thinking about Squall made Rinoa want to burst into tears, but she didn't want to break down in front of Caraway.

"Yeah, well you don't have to worry about that now. He hates my guts. He thinks that I'm going to marry Gillespie. Also the fact that I kept me being the General's daughter from him certainly didn't help."

At that last part Caraway seemed totally confused.

"Why would you do that?" He asked.

Rinoa laughed bitterly.

"Hello! Do you have any idea how much that freaks guys out? Not only do they think that I'm some spoiled rotten princess with impossible standards, but they freak out about the idea that _you're _my father. Not only do you have ridiculous standards for whom I date, but you'd probably kill them without hesitation. Then because of the social status you put me in, anyone I'd see would immediately be thrown into the public eye, and would always be judged harshly for every little thing they ever did, just because they're dating me!"

"You should have told him who you were after you were sure he had feelings for you."

Hell must have frozen over. Caraway was actually trying to give her advice.

"Well, I wanted to." She said. Then quietly added, "but because I realized I had feelings for him, I just couldn't risk losing him. I couldn't gather the courage to tell him. Guess I paid the price for being spineless."

She couldn't believe she was saying this to him. For years she had avoided him whenever she could and only spoke to him when they were screaming in some argument. And look at her now. She was _actually _telling him about her personal life and he was listening. It almost seemed like he cared.

"I'm sorry, Rinoa." Caraway said softly.

What? He apologized? Rinoa shook her head. She wasn't going to be tricked by this seemingly _'genuine' _apology act again. Last time she believed in it she had been rewarded with having to stuff herself into a 'look at my cleavage' dress and having that perv Nicholas feel up her ass. This time she'd stick firmly to her own resolve.

"I never meant for this to happen," Caraway continued. " I admit, I've always had what you called 'ridiculous standards' for whom you were seeing. I wanted you to be with someone who possessed a good, solid reputation. I wanted you to have someone you could rely on to take care of you…especially financially. Nicholas seemed like the perfect candidate. I was close to his father, so I felt that maybe Nicholas wouldn't be such a stranger. I believed our families were similar and that everything would be perfect…that was until I realized something. I'd forgotten the most important angle. It was how you'd feel towards him. Obviously you felt nothing remotely close to love. Still, stubbornly I thought that was something changeable. I thought that you'd learn to love him and that one day you'd be grateful for what I did. Only last night, the most obvious fact made itself aware in my mind."

"And what was that?"

"That you're just like your mother."

Rinoa sat in thoughtful silence. Her fingers played with the wedding band dangling from a fine chain clasped around her neck.

" Last night I realized something. That if I forced you into any marriage, when you'd already found your love, nothing on earth could ever make you move on. I heard you crying and it tore me apart…You'd say his name, 'Squall' then return to a fit of sobbing. It was just like you're mother. She'd whisper the name of a Galbadian soldier…her first true love. She married me when she was still in love with him, and I could never make her love me the same way. Even after we'd conceived a child. A beautiful child."

His eyes were at his hands again. One hand lifted to dab at his eye, then carefully went back to his lap. When he looked up his eyes glimmered.

"I don't know what to say." Rinoa whispered. "I'm so confused...You thought by setting me up with Gillespie, that you were actually helping me?"

"It's strange but, I thought you needed someone to take care of you in every way, financially, love, protection… I felt it was my responsibility to find that someone for you. It's clear to me now that the person I wanted to find all along was really myself. I wanted to be the man I used to be… The man who cherished the name Father most."

Determined as she was not to break down in front of the general, that's exactly was happened next. She cradled her face in her hands, her tears warming her palms.

Those words… words she'd been dying to hear since she was five years old.

Two arms slowly but strongly wrapped around her. The feeling was so foreign to both father and daughter, but the awkwardness bit by bit melted to a sense of security desperately missed by both.

"…Dad?" Rinoa whispered.

"Yes?"

"I…I've missed you."

He held her tighter. Savoring everything this wondrous moment had to offer.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Rinoa asked him, not breaking the embrace. "I can't accept losing him."

Caraway chuckled lightly. The sound was rusty to own his ears.

"Of course you won't accept the loss. You come from both a Caraway and a Heartilly. You're a fighter."

"How am I supposed to get him back?"

"Rinoa, if he really loves you then he'll have to take you back. All you can do is tell him the truth and how you feel."

Rinoa smiled. Gently she pulled back from her father.

"Dad…Thank you."

* * *

"Take it easy on the booze, man!" Zell exclaimed.

Squall just downed one. Already he was reaching for the next.

"Jeez, you've been like this every since you left Rinoa! Obviously you care about her. Be a man and take her back!"

"Zell, you don't understand, she's not the person I thought she was. Who knows what else she could've lied to me about. Not to the mention that she possibly has a fiancé."

"Say whatever lame excuse you can think of Squall, but I know that she cares for you. She's not a bad person."

Zell stormed out of the band lounge. People watched him leave with puzzled looks.

"Squall, you need to liven up and have some fun." A seductive voice crooned.

"I'd like to be alone right now, Quistis." The singer said coldly.

He hated how persistent the woman was in her pursuit of him. She didn't leave him any room to breathe. What did she see in him that caused her to be so enamored?

Quistis stood behind him, tracing lightly along his shoulders with her fingertips.

"You shouldn't be alone when you're hurt. It's not good for the heart, Squall."

His silence was her only answer.

"Talk to me, Squall. I want to make you feel better. Let me help you forget all about _her_."

Before he hadn't noticed the light scent of the perfume she wore. It was some kind of pleasant floral fragrance. The way her fingers kneaded at his shoulders, relieving the tension in his muscles felt very pleasing. His eyes closed in pleasure.

"She never was suited to you anyways," The blonde-haired beauty continued. "Not at all the way I am. She could never handle the life of a rock start. The traveling, the many shows, late night parties, fans…," She came around so that she stood in front of him. "And one gorgeous lead singer."

_Maybe she is right. Rinoa wouldn't be able to deal with my lifestyle. It's too out of control. Maybe I need someone more like…Quistis. Someone who could handle me. Someone who won't lie to me. No…what am I talking about it's not the same. She's not Rinoa._

The woman's hands traced along his shoulders then trailed along his chest. The sensation tickled slightly yet produced a nice tingle.

She leaned forward, only a few inches from his face.

"I want to take care of you Squall. Tonight, and everynight."

The floral aroma was making him dizzy. He wanted to embrace her and breathe in the sweet scent.

Soundlessly she closed the gap between them.

_She may not be Rinoa, but she'd never hurt me. _

(line)

"Where to, Miss Heartilly?" Caraway's personal driver inquired.

Quickly Rinoa told him the directions.

She leaned back in her seat as the car lurched out of the mansion's driveway. She was still surprised that her father had supported he decision, and also that he'd asked her to use his car. So much had changed between the two in such a short while. He wasn't Caraway to her anymore. Anxiously the young woman toyed with her fingers. Tonight she'd tell Squall everything. He'd have to listen. He may believe everything she told him in the past to be lies, but surely he couldn't doubt the sincerity of her love for him.

Hoping for some reassurance, she reached up and grasped her mother's wedding band. The comfort she found was small, but helpful.

"Please make him listen to what I have to say…," she whispered.

The car had reached the destination. Rinoa stepped out after assuring the kindly driver that he wouldn't have to wait for long. Soon she found herself at the front door. Squall's motorcycle and car were in front of the house, so she knew he was here. But what would he do when he saw her? Would he even allow her to utter a single word, or would he slam the door in her face?

_I have to try._

She knocked on the door.

There was no response.

She knocked again.

Still no response.

_Oh so __**that's **__the game he's playing. He must know that it's me and he's refusing to even see me. REAL mature Squall. _

She tried knocking even louder. The lack of response didn't surprise her this time. Boldly, she tried the handle and to her shock the door was unlocked.

_Odd… How could Squall forget to lock the door? _

She stepped inside. The house was silent. Some stray clothes trailed across the floor in the living room. They led down the hall.

A female giggle sounded through the house. The sound emanated from the hall.

"No…no…" Rinoa whispered.

_It couldn't be. He wouldn't do that. It must be one of the other band mates with a groupie. It has to be. _

Against her better judgement Rinoa made her way down the hall. Sure enough the sound came from Squall's room. The door was slightly ajar.

"Squall! Stop!" The familiar voice squealed. More giggling followed. " I think I heard someone knocking at the door."

"You must've imagined it. Now get back over her Miss Trepe…"

More giggling followed.

_I need to get out of here. I shouldn't look. I know what's happening. It doesn't matter who she is…_

She knew she should take up her own advice, but she simply couldn't.

Using one hand she forcefully pushed open the door. It slammed open revealing a shirtless Squall Leonhart holding up Quistis by her lower back. His lips had been roaming the skin of Quistis's breast that wasn't covered by her lacey bra. Now they were both looking up at Rinoa in silent shock.

Naturally Rinoa's first reaction, the one common to most human beings, was to scream her head off and call both of them off with every foul word she knew. Yet the rage couldn't hold a candle to the overwhelming sadness. She'd come here to salvage anything left of their relationship, but there seemed to be nothing left to save.

"Rinoa-What are you doing here?" Squall asked in alarm.

Rinoa smiled a bitter smile.

"Well I actually came her to tell you that I kept my identity from you because I was scared you'd leave me if I told you the truth. I also wanted you to know that Gillespie is a bloody liar. He's not my fiancé." She shook her head and laughed. "I even had this stupid idea that I could convince you how much I love you, but…"

She looked up at the nearly naked form of Quistis. Now she was clinging to Squall's arm, staring Rinoa down with disgust.

Tears spilled from Rinoa's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such an idiot."

Rinoa turned away. Turned away from the image that would haunt her every dream from now on and turn them into nightmares. She ran outside. Past the car and driver. She ran as far away as she could.


	10. Chapter 10

He didn't deserve to be alive

He didn't deserve to be alive. Not after what he'd put her through. Squall buried his face in his hands. What had he done? Last night he'd ran after the grief-stricken woman, but to no avail. It was as if she'd vanished, but then she did know Deling City like the back of her hand. The expression on her face when she saw him with Quistis…it was like he had stuck a knife in her heart. Part of him wanted to believe that Rinoa deserved it. She had lied to him after all. Yet he knew that thought was completely untrue. She had loved him, and in a strange way, her lying to him was because she loved him. She'd explained that just before she darted out of the house. Why couldn't he have believed all that before he had to go and make the biggest mistake of his life?

He heard the door click open as Zell walked into the room.

"Hey Squall." He nervously greeted the singer, "Seifer kind of explained the whole umm situation to me."

Squall looked up at him without saying a word.

"Obviously you still care for her, otherwise you wouldn't be beating yourself up so much about this. Also, I know that she lied to you and all, but…maybe it was only because she cared for you so much. Honestly, she seems really sweet and you could tell just by the way that she looks at you that she's crazy about you. I think that's reason enough to forgive her."

Squall smiled a small smile. He'd already come to that same conclusion long ago, but it was kind of nice to hear it spoken by someone else.

"Yeah, Zell, I know. I've already forgiven her, but now…I'm the one who needs forgiveness. That seems too much to ask for though…I wouldn't be able to forgive me if I was her."

Zell frowned, which was a small rarity all in itself.

"Well I came in here to be all optimistic, hoping it would rub off on you but umm…how exactly are you gonna go about this? Like what you did was bad…like REAL bad."

"Shut up! I know already!"

The drummer laughed uneasily, moving slowly towards the door so that if the singer chased him, he'd have a head start.

"Well I have an idea…I don't know if it'll work but it's worth a try." Squall said more calmly. The scowl slightly vanished from his face.

"Cool. Just let me know if I can help."

"…Thanks, Zell."

Zell stared at Squall with his mouth gaping open.

"Did- did you actually…thank me?" he whispered.

Squall rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"YOU DID! I heard it!" Zell opened the door, looking around the room with shifty eyes. "I'm getting out of here before something blows up!"

Squall watched the drummer run off. He decided he'd follow suit in a much less dramatic fashion. On his way down the hall Seifer stepped out of his room. A tense moment enveloped the two men. Neither had exchanged the slightest word since the previous night. Squall waited for the blonde to make some smug comment, yet surprisingly none came.

"Seifer," he said slowly, "about our T.V. performance today-"

"You're going to change it for her, aren't you?"

"I'm that predictable?"

"Of course you are, how else do you think I always kick your ass in our fights?"

"Whatever. So are you okay with me changing it? I know it's supposed to be a big deal for us…but this is really important to me."

"Just tell me what you want me to play."

* * *

"Rinoa, I really don't think you should do this."

"No, dad, I need to."

"Do you want me to help?"

"Thanks, but I can do this on my own."

Caraway sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Just remember, feel free to ask me for anything if you need it."

Rinoa smiled for a moment.

"You know, this whole being nice to me thing is well…nice."

Her father chuckled.

"I agree." He said as he turned on the big screen television. "Perhaps they're telling the weather on the news."

Some woman was talking about Deling City being a home to more bands than any other city.

Rinoa frowned.

" And of course this is the city I had to be born in…" she muttered.

"Rinoa, I'm so sorry about what happened with that boy. His actions are inexcusable. I tell you, if I ever run in to him I'll give him a piece of my mind. After that he'll be lucky if he can walk. I didn't attend Galbadia Military School for 12 years and learn nothing, you know."

The young woman tried to laugh, but it came out as a strange type of sob. Just thinking about last night made her want to burst into tears. Not a tear would be permitted to drop from her eyes. Rinoa had decided resolutely that Squall Leonhart didn't deserve anymore tears from her. He wasn't worth it.

Rinoa returned to folding the clothes she had sprawled out on the couch. During her task she half listened to the anchorwoman. Apparently some band called Grieving Lions was playing at the station to promote their new album, and the performance would be looped to VH1.

"Speak of the devil." Caraway spoke angrily.

"Huh?" Rinoa asked him.

Twirling to face the screen, all the air left Rinoa's lungs in a rush.

Squall stood in the center of the bright white stage. Seifer was seated on a stool behind him, an acoustic guitar rested on his lap.

Squall brought the mic to his lips.

"Hello everyone. I know that you're all expecting to hear the single off our new album, but there's been a slight change in plans. Today I'm going to be playing a song I've been working on called 'Angel'.

The young man picked up his own acoustic guitar and sat down on a tall stool. Him and Seifer began strumming the opening notes.

Rinoa remembered this melody. It was simple yet enchanting.

She watched the man as he began to sing.

_It's been so long angel, since I've last seen you_

_You took all you're love and then you flew_

_The nights are cold, the day is long_

_Yea, its been so long since I've heard your song_

This knight is no one without your love

_Now I spend my nights listening for your wings flapping from above_

_I apologize for not being the best of me for you_

_Darling when it comes to you, nothing but the best could do_

_Angel please come back to save me_

_Only together can we break free_

_From all of this _

_Shattered blades and feathers are all I see_

Now Rinoa remembered. This was the song Squall played for her the night she'd confessed her love for him. He'd been so nervous about playing it, as if it had been some kind of secret. That must've been because the song was for her all along. She closed her eyes and fell into the state of rapture his songs produced in her. His voice and the melody interlaced into a sound fitting for only heaven. The song came to an end and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Before we go," Squall said, "There's something I want to say to someone very important to me…Rinoa Heartilly, I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry I hadn't believed in you. I'm sorry for being weak."

She couldn't believe it. He was bearing his soul for her on national television. This was supposed to be his big chance to set his musical career off to a great start. How could he throw that all away just for her?

"I understand why you hadn't told me the truth before." He continued. "I realize how much you cared for me and I can't believe I blew it. I know you might never be able to forgive me, but please understand, Rinoa, you're the most important thing to me in this world. I love you."

He still loved her.

"Rinoa?" Caraway asked nervously. "How do you feel about this? He does seem to be deeply sorry, but I don't know…"

Rinoa walked over to the T.V. and turned it off.

" What a complete waste of his time."

Quietly she returned to her folding as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.


	11. Chapter 11

**SeraphxHeartilly: **Ahoy there! It took so long to get this chapter up. For some reason my computer decided to work against me and wouldn't let me upload this chapter. I'm still not exactly sure why it wouldn't work :/ Thankfully it gave up its vendetta against me. :D Not long now till the conclusion. I hope you guys enjoy this!

* * *

Since the T.V. debut, Squall hadn't received the slightest word from Rinoa. She had every reason to hate his guts, but still…part of him had clung tenaciously to the faintest hope that she might still want to be with him. He knew he possessed more than a good share of flaws, but his love for her was true. How could he make her see that? Discouraged, he sent one powerful punch into the hallway wall.

"Woah, woah."

Squall looked behind him. Seifer watched him with an amused grin.

"Puberty boy, I thought if anything that you were above using poor defenseless walls as an outlet for your pent-up frustrations."

"Whatever." Squall muttered, irritated.

He trudged into the living room and allowed his body to fall into the couch cushions.

Zell watched his band mate between taking bites of his hotdog. Somehow he kept stocked up on those things to a seemingly infinite supply…

"You know, instead of this whole painstaking process of waiting around for her," he swallowed a hearty bite, " Why don't you just go over there?"

Squall raised his head.

"Just go over there?"

"Mhhmmmm."

"Just head over to the presidential mansion and say to the guard 'hi, I'm Squall, let me in, please'?"

Zell frowned.

"Yea. …I forgot about the whole guard at the front gate thing. Well what if you just say that you're a friend of Rinoa and that you need to speak with her?"

"That would work if she wanted to see me, but I'm pretty sure she hates me. Seeing me would be the last thing she'd want. She'd never let me in."

Seifer walked into the living room, putting on his favorite brown trench coat.

"Well if playing nice doesn't work then we'll just have to play naughty." The patented Seifer grin followed.

Zell gaped at him. His eyes like saucers.

"No freakin' way! You're not gonna get us in trouble again by swinging around that gunblade of yours! Why in Hyne did someone allow a person like you to come into possession of a deadly weapon…"

Zell cringed after he received a whack from Seifer to the back of the head.

"I don't need to use my gunblade. And that was just ONE time!"

Squall smiled a small yet genuine smile.

"Thanks, Seifer. I could use your help. Alright we'll head over then, I just need to do something real quick along the way."

"Wait…You're actually gonna use HIS help?" Zell exclaimed.

Squall went to his bedroom, ignoring the sounds of Armageddon coming from the living room. When he came back, in his hands he held his black electric guitar. The one beautifully hand-painted with the Griever insignia. Both band mates sent him a perplexed look, but his only answer was a serene smile.

"Let's get going." He said quietly.

* * *

The image of the guitar in the pawnshop owner's hands was engraved into Squall's mind. Nothing of his own body was missing, yet he felt as if he'd lost a big part of himself. Seifer shook his head. A pale red remained on his face after yelling at his band mate for disowning his instrument for mere cash. With the money, the singer had gone into another shop then walked out with only a single little bag. What in that bag could possibly be worth the man's most prized possession since childhood? He looked at Squall and considered asking yet again what the small item was but decided against it. He already knew he wouldn't receive an answer. The Presidential Mansion was in their view. It wasn't long till they'd arrived at the front gate. As predicted, a guard was dutifully guarding the way.

"Gentlemen," the guard spoke without enthusiasm. "What business do you have at the mansion?"

Squall stepped up to the guard.

"I'm Squall Leonhart, and I'm here to speak with Rinoa Heartilly."

"Is that so? Well I'll send the request up to the mansion."

The guard walked over to the guard station phone and picked it up.

"Hello, I'd like to send over a request from a young man at the front gate. Sir Caraway, it's actually for Miss Heartilly. Uh-huh. The name of the young man is Leonhart. Oh…I see. Yes, I will relay the message."

The guard returned the phone to its cradle and walked back to the two young men.

"I'm sorry sir, but the general has informed me that Miss Heartilly has no desire to speak with you."

Squall hung his head. He'd expected this, but it still hurt.

He heard a shuffling of footsteps as Seifer walked up to the guard.

"That may be the case, Mr…. Guard man.., but listen up. My friend Squall here, he really needs to speak with Miss Heartilly."

Squall looked up. Strangely the guard hadn't said a word in response. He realized why when he caught sight of the glint of a blade from within Seifer's jacket. Seifer had pulled back his trench coat enough to partially reveal his gunblade that was attached to his hip with some kind of strap.

_We are so getting kicked out of Deling…Hell, probably all of Galbadia. _ Squall slapped his hand to his forehead.

"I see there's very low security today," Seifer continued, "Not many people to help you…or to hear you scream."

The guard slowly replied "I am…not letting you in…with that weapon."

"Don't worry buddy, only Squall's going in. I assure you he's completely unarmed."

"I still will have to take precautions."

He slowly walked to Squall, watching Seifer cautiously the whole time, then proceeded to pat down Squall to ensure that he truly was unarmed. Pleased with finding there was no weapons, he walked back to his post.

"Go inside quickly Mr. Leonhart."

Squall looked back to Seifer giving a silent plea for him not to pull any more crazy stunts while he was gone.

"Don't worry 'bout me!" The blonde replied. "Go and get her, lover boy!"

* * *

Squall walked to the front door and hesitantly knocked on it with the ornate metal knocker. The place was so extravagant and imposing that just being so close to aroused feelings of nervousness. These types of places must've been the 'norm' to Rinoa. Whatever made her hang out with someone like him? The door opened and he was met by a stern-faced maid. He was about to speak when she cut him off.

" Robert has already informed me of your arrival. Do come inside."

"Robert?" Squall inquired as he stepped inside the mansion.

"Robert is the guard," she replied, "He also told me to keep an eye on you."

An embarrassed look found its way to his face.

"Follow me." she commanded as she led him up the staircase and through the house.

The young man followed obediently as he was directed through the maze of halls and rooms. Silently he prayed to Hyne that he wouldn't get lost on his way out.

They were now standing before a closed door. Light escaped through the cracks, indicating that someone was within the room.

"Carraway, Sir, a young man is here to see you." The maid called.

"Let him in." a deep male voice answered.

"Wait, um miss?" Squall whispered urgently to the maid. "I'm actually here to see Rinoa, not the general."

She smiled an empty smile then said matter-of-factly, "To speak with her, you have to speak with the general first."

With that said she walked away, leaving Squall alone in the hallway. Squall eyed the door as if an angry Chimera dwelled on the other side. Deciding it was now or never, he opened the door and went inside. Caraway was seated behind his desk working on papers. He halted writing on a document and looked up at Squall.

"Ah, so you're the one." The general spoke as he removed his reading glasses.

The tone in which he spoke made Squall none the more confident that this would be a pleasant confrontation.

"General," Squall began, "I'm here to see Rinoa. Is it possible for me to speak with her?"

"Sit down." Caraway commanded.

Cautiously Squall sat in the chair positioned in front of the desk.

"Why in the hell should I let you speak with my daughter?"

Squall was taken aback. It was clear that the general was not going to beat around the bush.

"Sir, I made a terrible mistake that hurt Rinoa. I can't take it back, but I want to do everything in my power to make it better."

"Make it better?" Caraway scoffed. "Do you know how much pain you caused her? First when she had thought she'd lost you, and then when you betrayed her by going off with that woman! Her tears were endless, and there was nothing I could do to console her. Now tell me, why as a father should I allow the man who's the root of my own daughter's misery, to see her again?"

"I wish I had a better answer, but all I know is this,"

He brought out the bag he had in his pocket and pulled out of it a small black velvet box. He popped the lid open then carefully set it down on Caraway's desk. Inside the box rested an exquisite looking wedding band.

"All I know, Caraway, is that I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I want to dedicate every moment to making her happy."

A thoughtful silence from Caraway followed. For a moment Squall wished he could read minds. Quietly Caraway asked,

"Do you swear on your life, on all the honor that you possess, that you'll never hurt her again?"

"I swear." Squall answered, "…I love her."

"You're lucky, boy, if I didn't know that she cared for you I'd have high tailed your ass out of here."

Squall sat in silence, unsure of how to respond to that.

"I wish that I could let you speak with her, but unfortunately she's not in Deling anymore."

"What?" Squall asked.

"This morning she left for the airport. She said that she needed some space, and that she couldn't find that in Deling."

Squall stood up from his seat.

"Don't you know where she went to?" he asked.

Caraway frowned.

"I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me. She said that she wasn't quite sure yet where she was headed and that she didn't want me sending any 'spies' to 'stalk' her. All I wanted was maybe one or two trusted employs to keep a watchful eye on her…"

_How could I find her now…_ Squall asked himself. _I don't have the means to track her down by the passenger roster on the plane…and I can't scour every place on the earth, obviously…_

He found himself growing more and more frustrated as the seconds ticked by.

"Wait," Caraway said. Interrupting his own rambles about how the youth don't appreciate the supervision of their parents these days. "I do know what the name is of the hotel chain she's staying at. It's called Calming Winds. I hope that'll help. When she sends me news of where she is I'll be sure to contact you."

"Thank you, sir." Squall told him as he stepped out of the study and headed to the front door. He was successful in not getting lost much to his own surprise. Outside Seifer stood by the guard. They were laughing together like old friends.

"Since when did you guys become so chummy?" Squall asked.

Seifer laughed and patted the guard, Robert, as Squall had learned, on the shoulder.

"It turns out that Robby here is quite a riot!"

Squall shook his head and muttered a whatever.

"I'm going now," he said.

The singer walked off.

"Wait, Squally! Don't be jealous!" Seifer shouted out. "Later, Robby!" Quickly he ran to catch up with Squall.

* * *

At the house Squall had divulged his newly gathered info to his bandmates. Zell jumped onto the computer and looked up Calming Winds Hotels with Seifer standing behind him, shouting at him what to click.

"Not that one chicken-wuss!"

"I know what I'm doing!"

"You know Squall," Irvine said, "That hotel sounds really familiar. Doesn't one of our friends have a relative that works there or somethin' like that?"

Squall shook his head.

" I can't remember."

"Ah, here it is!" Zell said triumphantly. "I'm loading up the hotel listings and there's one in….Dollet, Trabia, Balamb, Shumi Village, Winhill, and Esthar...…"

"He'll never find her that way." Seifer muttered. "Not to mention we can't afford that many plane tickets. And we can't just call and ask, because I'm positive that she won't use her real name. If she did then everyone would bug her because she's the general's daughter, and she wanted 'space'."

"Oh I remember now!" Irvine shouted.

Everyone looked at him quizzically.

"It's Quistis whose relative is the owner of the Calming Winds Hotels! I used to always pick on her for having a rich daddy." He grinned like a proud child.

"Sweet!" Zell exclaimed. "Then we could just see if she'll ask her dad for us to ask his employees if they've seen Rinoa at the hotels!"

"There's no way I'm asking Quistis for help." The storm-eyed singer said quietly.

Irvine put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look Squall, you may not like her, but you need her help. Are you gonna let something like this get in the way of you finding Rinoa?"

Squall shrugged the cowboy's hand off.

"She wouldn't help me anyway. She doesn't like Rinoa. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want us to be together."

"You know, Squall, she's not heartless like you think. She must feel some remorse."

* * *

It was cold outside Quistis's apartment. Squall hugged himself for warmth.

"I swear on Hyne that I'm only doing this for Rinoa!" he sharply whispered to Seifer.

"I know!" Seifer whispered back, "After this you never have to talk to her again if that's what you want."

Seifer knocked on the door.

"Whoever you are, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up this late!" the woman shouted.

Shortly after, the door was opened by Quistis Trepe. Elegantly dressed in cactuar pajamas and a robe.

" What the hell do you want, Seifer?" she practically growled.

"You're so attractive when you're pissed off."

The blonde man was about to receive a hard smack to the face when he quickly added,

"We're here because Squall needs your help."

As he said that Quistis looked behind him and saw the other young man for the first time.

" Oh..hey, Squall."

Nervousness was evident in her voice. She knew he could hardly look at her. It just reminded him of betraying _her_.

"Come inside, guys. You'll freeze your asses off out here."

She opened the door wider and stepped back.

"How can I be of help?" she asked Squall as she shut the door behind the two men.

Squall and Seifer explained the whole predicament to Quistis and how they're only hope was if she could use her connections with her father to track Rinoa down.

" So will you help?" Seifer asked.

Quistis looked down to her lap.

She still didn't think Rinoa was a good match for Squall. But then the only person she wanted with Squall was herself. That would never happen. But should she deny Squall happiness for such a selfish reason?

She looked up at him and saw in his eyes that she held all his hopes in her hands. Those beautiful puppy dog eyes were so deeply troubled. Beautiful eyes she had fallen in love with.

"I cant…," she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

"What?" Seifer exclaimed in disbelief.

Squall put his face down in his hands. He'd known that she wouldn't help. Why in Hyne did he waste his time coming here anyway? He stood up from the couch to leave. The faint sound of Quistis speaking reached his ears.

" I can't…keep you from loving her can I?" she said.

Blue-gray eyes stared her down silently. No answer was needed. He couldn't tell her anything she didn't already know. Before, Quistis hadn't comprehended what Rinoa meant to him. In her eyes Rinoa had just been some girl standing between her and the man of her dreams. Hell, Quistis was jealous, but she was no fool. Not just 'some girl' could cause the ruthless misery to surface in Squalls eyes. She needed to rid that sadness from him. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. She was the one to make him loose Rinoa, now she was the one he needed to get her back.

The blonde woman stood up from her seat and walked to the phone.

"I'll call my father and see what he can do. I know it's awfully late for me to contact him, but I know you won't be able to rest a wink until you find her."

Before either of the men could speak, she quickly punched in the numbers and pressed the phone up to her ear. Three rings, then the tired voice of her father.

Her eyes drifted over to Squall.

"Thank you." He mouthed.

That was the first time he'd said something kindly to her. Most words from him were cold rebuffs to her advances. She witnessed another first too. The first genuine smile he'd ever given her. Never had she thought he could look any more beautiful. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Carefully she moved her gaze to the floor.

"Quistis, is that you?" her father asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen…I know we haven't spoken in a while, but I really need your help."

* * *

From the balcony Rinoa watched the ocean waves lick the glittering sandy shore. The bright sky above was the contrast of her mood. Taking one huge breath she inhaled the salty air. It felt good, comforting almost. The air here was nothing like what she experienced daily in Deling. Absent was the choking smell of gasoline, and the symphony of seagulls and waves replaced the roar of engines and constant hum of people. If she wasn't so hopelessly depressed she might fully enjoy her escape to this place. Eyeing the shore again, she decided it'd be nice to feel the sand on her bare feet. She walked to the dresser and pulled out a spare 20 and left it as a tip for room service and left.

* * *

The train came to a stop at the Balamb Train Station. Squall waited impatiently for everyone to get their stuff together. He'd rather have come by himself, but Seifer, Zell, and Quistis insisted on tagging along. He was most reluctant to let Quistis come since he knew Rinoa would be further upset at the mere sight of her. Yet Quistis had been a great help to him and she told him that she wanted to do everything she could to help him out. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that Irvine had been right. Quistis wasn't heartless like he had thought.

"Stop glaring daggers at us, Puberty Boy, were coming!" Seifer exclaimed.

They all exited the train and hastily made their way down to the hotel. The tiny black velvet box felt like it weighed a ton in Squall's pocket. The Calming Winds hotel came into view and the group stepped inside the entrance. The desk clerk watched them expectantly.

"How may I help you?" she asked as the four approached her.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Trepe's daughter Quistis. He informed you of our arrival?"

"Oh! You're looking for the young woman that resembles the general's daughter!" the clerk said with recognition. "She checked in as Julia Heart."

"What room is she staying in?" Squall asked, urgency was in his voice.

"She's staying in room 202…but she walked out of the hotel about an hour ago. I can leave a message for her if you'd like."

"I'll wait here in case she show up." Zell said to Squall. "You go search the town for her, its not too big so there's not too many places she could be."

Squall thanked the drummer before darting out of the hotel. Seifer and Quistis struggled to stay at his heels.

"I'll check all the shops!" said Seifer. With that said he was off.

"Squall, lets search by the pier." Quistis suggested.

Squall nodded. They ran to the pier and saw the many ships in dock being loaded. There were a few people around, but none of them were here.

Squall looked out towards the beach a short distance away. That's when he caught sight of the woman walking along the water's edge. Without a word he dashed down to the shoreline as fast as his legs could carry him

"Squall, were are you going?" Quistis shouted to him. Already he was quite a distance away. More slowly the blonde woman followed.

* * *

As Squall neared the young woman he slowed his pace to a walk. She wasn't yet aware of his presence but perhaps that was a good thing. If she were to notice him now she'd she him gawking like an idiot at how beautiful she was. She reminded him of a water lily, the way her bare feet and legs were covered by the water and how the skirt of her white dress fanned out and fluttered in the wind. Long, silky raven-colored strands of hair whipped around her face in a graceful manner. She turned her head to the side and lightly brushed some hair away from her face using her hand. That's when she saw him.

"Squall…" she whispered.

She stood stalk still.

"Rinoa…I've been dying to see you again. There's so much I need to tell you."

She turned her back to him.

"You wanted to see me? That's hard to believe. It seems you've already found my replacement. What was her name…Quistis."

Squall cringed. How much he wished to take that night back eclipsed everything he'd ever wanted in his life. How could he make her understand that?

"That night…was the worst night of my life. Every moment I wish that I could take it back. It was wrong and stupid…I was weak and I'd thought that you had lied to me and that you were engaged. Still, that's no excuse. I'm so sorry, Rinoa."

She turned back, anger marring those beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

" I don't care that you're sorry, Squall. I already heard it that day on your T.V. performance. You shouldn't have wasted that chance to set off your career."

He smiled a small smile.

"Anything for _you_ is worth it."

Two fat tears rolled down from her eyes. In a poor attempt to hide them, she looked down to the ground.

"Don't say things like that, Squall." A sob escaped her throat. "I don't want to love you any more. It hurts too much."

Squall walked towards her and kneeled before her. He didn't cared that his legs were getting covered with beach sand and salt water.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box and opened it to reveal the wedding band inside.

"Is that what I think it is…"

"Rinoa," Squall began, "I swear on my life to never ever hurt you again. I'm begging you to give me the chance to make up for everything…Everyday of my life. You're happiness is all that matters to me, because you, Rinoa, are my _everything_. I've been searching all my life for true happiness, and I can only truly feel it when I'm with you. My life is incomplete without you. I'm asking you for more than to be my wife, Rinoa. Will you complete me?"

He held up the ring.

Rinoa's eyes went to the ring, then back to him. Each time she looked back at him more and more tears spilled from her eyes.

The waves noisily crashed against the shore, much like her tears to his heart.

"Squall…" her voice was so fragile the wind threatened to carry it way.

"Yes?" he said back.

A strange sensation stung at his eyes. Was he starting to cry?

"Squall." She repeated. This time her voice was more firm and thick with emotion.

She dropped to her knees and tightly wrapped her arms around him. Several sobs erupted from her. Squall firmly enveloped her in his arms. A sense of being _home_ came over him. That feeling he'd lost since Raine passed away.

He pulled back just enough so that he could kiss her. The young woman passionately returned the gesture. Their kisses grew more and more fierce with each one. Neither was sure how much time had passed when they finally pulled back.

"Was that a yes?" Squall asked.

Rinoa picked up the velvet box from where Squall had placed it on the sand. She took the ring out and placed it on her ring finger.

"It's perfect." She said, sending him the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen in his entire life.

Gently he pulled her face to his, his lips found hers and they resumed where they left off.

Quistis watched the lovers from the end of the pier. Seifer walked up from behind her.

"Things are starting to look up for those two." The man said with his usual smug grin.

Quistis just sighed.

"I wish someone cared for me like _that_."

She hardly noticed when Seifer stepped closer to her.

"Well I wish that you'd notice that _someone _always has."

She looked up at him quizzically.

"And who would that be…"

Seifer's smile grew timid. Color filled his cheeks.

"It's always been me, Quistis." He said quietly. "I know that I'm no Squall, but-"

Quistis got up on her tippy toes and locked her lips with his.

Seifer couldn't contain his smile as she kissed him.

The sun was disappearing from the horizon. They sky was painted in a kaleidoscope of colors from violet to crimson. The seagulls and the waves seemed to quiet into a gentle rhythm, a rhythm of the heart.

* * *

**SeraphxHeartilly**: Thank you to everyone who's read and enjoyed Rhythm of the Heart! I really enjoyed writing this story as the plot idea had been dancing around in my head for ages. I'd love to hear all of your opinions on the story and its conclusion, so keep the reviews coming! :) If you're a squinoa fan be sure to check out my profile every now and then as I'll most likely start working on another one. Thanks again to all my readers for reading and sending in feedback!


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